Naruto's Monstrous Daily Life!
by djunk101
Summary: Naruto thought sealing Kaguya would solve all his problems, instead he finds himself stranded in a strange new world with the now powerless Goddess. At least that nice Ms Smith seems willing to help him out. She's even provided him with a house in return for looking after some people for her whilst he tries to find a way back home. How hard could it be? If only he knew. Harem
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys and gals! Name's djunk101, but you can just call me DJ, and welcome to my first fic! I've reading stories on this site 10 or 11 years now, and I've finally decided to throw my hat into the ring...sort of. You see, I don't consider myself much of an author, but I had idea for a fic and I really wanted to see it made, so I contacted one of my favorite authors Drake Wilson (check out his story To Love 'Ruto some time, it's amazing and the best "large harem" story I've ever read) and pitched this story to him. He was very busy at the time, but said he may help me out later when things weren't so jam packed. So I decided to work on planning things out in the meantime. That was back in February, so I've had plenty of time to develop things out. While I came up with the idea and premise and loosely outlined the long term plot, Drake Wilson typed this out and contributed plenty of ideas of his own, and probably will in the future as well, so it's probably best to consider him a co-author. The premise and planning of this fic was made long before Kaguya's backstory was shown in the anime recently, so it was not taken into account and will be ignored for the sake of what was planned. Anyway, I've blabbed on long enough, let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou. If I did, there would have been a lot more Tayuya and Kaguya and a lot more Tio and Cathyl respectively.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The ninja of team seven braced themselves as they looked upon the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya as she stood before the writing ball of Bijuu chakra, the faces of the great chakra beasts twisting in agony as the 'Mother of All Chakra' bound them to her will. Pinned to the ground, Black Zetsu peered from the arm that had been severed from his mother, although her ability to perfectly create chakra limbs left her unaffected by a usually crippling injury. _'Soon Mother will end this!'_ It thought to itself, satisfied in the knowledge of his mother's superiority over the drained Ninja.

Team seven were all looking worse for wear, even Naruto and his clones were looking slightly drained. They were all encased in Kakashi's Susanoo, protecting them from Kaguya for the time being, although it was no secret to the tired ninja that their respite was only temporary.

"What the hell!" Naruto exclaimed as he stared up at the giant black orb before him as he stood within Kakashi's Susanoo. "That's the same as the balls I've got behind me." He jerked a thumb at the small black sphere floating behind him, "Except it's way bigger and it keeps getting larger and larger!"

"Kamui can't teleport something of that magnitude," Kakashi sounded tired, his body struggling to maintain the Susanoo, Obito's last gift to him. "Even if we were to run away by teleporting to the space-time dimension, if that thing keeps growing larger there is no way we'd be able to return."

"So we've got to stop it," Sasuke remarked bluntly.

"In other words," Naruto pointed at Kaguya, "We've got no choice but to seal the real body of that old, rabbit hag!"

"It would seem so." In spite at the seriousness of their situation, Sakura couldn't help but slightly smile at Naruto's remark. _'Trust that idiot to go around insulting the closest thing we'll ever see to a god.'_

' _ **You certainly talk a big game.'**_ He heard Yin Kurama's voice. _**'I'm assuming you have some sort of plan?'**_

' _I'm working on it. I mean how hard could this be? We have Sasuke, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei! Not to mention me.'_

' _ **We are screwed aren't we?'**_

"Huddle up…" Kakashi looked at his students, "Here's the plan. As the former team seven… This will be your final mission." He delivered the line sternly as Naruto and Sasuke stared down the Rabbit Goddess, "We're going to save the world."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in the standard Uchiha style.

"Yeah!" Naruto declared, getting pumped up.

"Roger!" Sakura saluted, hanging back with Kakashi whilst watching her two fellow teammates get ready to face the biggest threat of their lives.

Kaguya merely looked at them with disdain, "I am immortal," She paused for dramatic effect, feeling slightly annoyed by the complete lack of response from Team Seven, "But if either one of you dies you will no longer be able to seal me. So then…" Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "Which of you shall it be?"

"I'LL BE YOUR OPPONENT BITCH!" Naruto declared boisterously.

' _ **Classy.'**_ Yin Kurama rolled its eyes.

' _Bitch?'_ Kaguya's eye twitched. _'What a crude young man.'_

"No," Sasuke stepped forward, "Let's take her on together. That way there's twice as much of a threat of being sealed for her." He glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi and nodded before turning back to Naruto, "Bring them along the way and send them flying!"

Kakashi charged Kaguya, his Susanoo raising its sword high as Naruto and Sasuke slipped from it, Naruto's clones surrounding them.

' _Do they think I don't see them?'_ Kaguya glanced at Kakashi, deciding to eliminate him to prevent any distractions. She suddenly charged Kakashi with a speed even his sharingan was unable to track effectively, resulting in the rabbit goddess getting up close before he could even swing his sword. _'And this is where your tale ends. So sad but you brought this suffering on yourself. At least I will make your death painless. That is the least I can do.'_ She extended her palm and launched several Ash Killing Spears at the Susanoo, shattering it with minimal effort and watching dispassionately as a spear tore through Kakashi's chest. She scowled as the attack seemed to pass straight through Kakashi without injuring him,

' _I really love this ability Obito,'_ Kakashi smirked as he closed in on the rabbit Goddess, who seemed taken aback by his survival. _'And now it is time to bring back this technique!'_ His hands flew through hand seals faster than the eye could track, casing his arm in lighting and lashing out at the Goddess, "KAMUI RAIKIRI!"

' _What?!'_ Kaguya scowled as the attack struck her arm. _'This pain! My arm…"_ She scowled as the Jutsu interfered with her chakra limb, causing it to go unresponsive. _Why…? Why do they resist?! Do they rejoice in suffering?! Do they not want peace?!'_ As she tried to regenerate the severed limb, her Byakugan picked up on two chakra sources charging her from two directions. ' _I only need to remove one of them.'_ Kaguya frowned before she remembered all of the clones. _'Which one is the real one? I… I can't let them seal me! Not when I am this close to finally achieving peace!'_

" **MOTHER!"** Black Zetsu called from the sleeve, trying to manipulate Kaguya's severed arm into launching an Ash Killing Spear.

' _There's no time! I have to escape.'_ Kaguya leapt upwards. Launching a spear at Naruto as a distraction and relying on Zetsu to deal with Sasuke, Kaguya started to form a portal to escape and rethink her strategy. She watched as Naruto got impaled by the spear and dispersed into nothing with what was Sasuke becoming Naruto with a puff of smoke.

' _So they were both Ashura's successor,'_ Kaguya thought to herself, somewhat impressed by the plan. _'He must have transformed when they fell from the chakra construct. Still it matters not,'_ She smirked as she saw the opening of a smaller portal, _'Soon you will be punished for defying a goddess and I shall be elsewhere, stranding your friends in this dimension. Their desire for war shall see that they never witness the harmony of my new world.'_ Her smirk vanished as she witnessed the tell-tale distortion of a Kamui and the attack aimed at Naruto vanished. _'I am really starting to hate that ability. I knew I should have eliminated him first.'_ She noticed one of the clone's turn into Sasuke. _'And now Indra's successor appears. They must be planning to seal me with a desperate last lunge.'_ She glanced at the portal she had formed. _'Almost there… Maybe I could send them to the Ice Dimension? No Indra's successor can use Amaterasu. That won't work! I just need to get anywhere other than here!'_ She tried to soar upwards but was shocked when she sensed someone appear just behind her, that someone being Sakura. _'Wait… She was in the Byakugan's blind spot? How did she know?!'_ Kaguya tried to avoid her attack, but the effort of opening the portal was slowing her down, just enough for the pink haired ninja to deliver a powerful punch and knock her towards the successors of Ashura and Indra, one of her horns breaking from the impact but it was of little concern to the rabbit goddess. _'THE PORTAL IS READY!'_ She smirked and dived for it.

"NOT SO FAST!" Naruto summoned a clone and kicked off of it for a burst of extra speed.

"This ends here!" Sasuke declared as he launched a giant fireball to propel him towards Kaguya.

' _Almost there!'_ Kaguya suddenly felt a shiver through her entire body. _'No!'_ She glanced at the grinning Naruto and satisfied looking Sasuke. "You know not what you are about to do! This is the only way the world will know peace!"

"NOW!" Sasuke yelled as he reached out.

"SHANNARO!" Sakura yelled as the Naruto and Sasuke placed their palms against Kaguya.

"Yosh!" Naruto cried out as he felt the seal start to do its thing.

"No… This world's last chance for peace…" Kaguya whispered as she felt the seal start to sap her of her strength. She looked in despair as her regenerated limb disintegrated without her powers to maintain it. The portal was so close she could practically smell the other dimension but without her powers it was starting to crackle violently.

"NARUTO! SASUKE! Get out of there!" Kakashi roared, seeing the unstable portal swell, threatening to swallow them all.

"What?" Sasuke scowled at Kakashi as Naruto looked at the portal.

"Crap!" Naruto realized what was about to happen. The portal was starting to expand but the Uchiha was too busy trying to make out what Kakashi was saying to realize the potential danger. "GET OUT OF THE WAY TEME!"

"What did you…" Sasuke turned to face Naruto only to find the blonde's boot in his face, kicking him away from Kaguya. "What was that for… dobe?" Sasuke blinked as the portal suddenly expanded, swallowing Naruto and Kaguya, before vanishing, leaving only a faint distortion in space-time. "Dobe?" Sasuke repeated uncertainly.

"Where did Naruto go Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura glanced at Kakashi who was staring blankly into space.

"Naruto…" Kakashi lowered his head.

"...There are sacrifices in every war," Sasuke scowled at the floor. _'Idiot… Who does he think he is saving me?'_ He angrily glared at the distortion. _'How are we going to have our final battle now? You never think anything out.'_ He clenched his fists angrily.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura was shocked by Sasuke's words.

"As much as it pains me to agree with him, he is right," Kakashi shook his head sadly. "It… It is just like Naruto to put others before himself."

"Kakashi-sensei… stop that.'" Sakura whispered. "Stop acting like Naruto's dead! He can't be! He's… he's going to be the Hokage…" Her shoulders shuddered as she fought back the tears.

Before they could say anymore, the three ninja found themselves standing in the middle of a summoning circle.

"What the…" Sakura looked around.

"Welcome home Kakashi-kun, you looked tired." Minato laughed.

"Sensei…" Kakashi's shoulders slumped.

"Where is Naruto?" Minato looked around for his son.

"He…" Kakashi looked at the floor. "I am sorry Sensei… I couldn't save him."

"Pardon?" Minato blinked.

"He… He sacrificed himself to save me." Sasuke scowled.

" **You'd better pray that isn't so."** Kurama glared at the Uchiha. **"I can still sense my Yin half, although it is growing weaker."**

" **Is he dying?"** Matatabi glanced at the Nine tails.

" **I don't think so… It's less like he is fading away and more like he is going further away. His energy isn't dropping just getting more distant."** Kurama closed his eyes.

" **You look sad Kurama. You must really like Naruto eh?"** Gyuuki teased.

" **W-what?!"** Kurama glared at his fellow Bijuu, " **I don't miss that idiot!"**

"How tsundere Kyuubi," Minato smiled softly. _'To be able to win over the Kyuubi... You really are something special son. I know you're alright. I feel it in my heart. Plus, you're too much like your mother to let something like being sent into a different dimension to stop you.'_

" **I will end you Yondaime."**

"And that went so well for you last time?"

Kurama closed his eyes with a faint smile. _'I_ _ **I suppose it actually did, at least in the long run.'**_

"Wait did the sealing work? Kaguya escaped to another dimension with Naruto! She could come back at any time!" Sakura interrupted Kurama's train of thought.

"Kaguya's powers have been sealed away, even if she herself has not." Hagoromo walked up to Sasuke who merely scowled in response.

"Er… Sasuke-kun, who is this?" Sakura asked.

"I believe you would know me as the Sage of Six Paths." He smiled.

"Do you know where Kaguya fled?"

"No, but without her powers it would be very difficult if not impossible for her to return. The world is safe."

"But what about Naruto?" Sakura asked angrily. "Can we get him back?"

"That… That would be most difficult," Hagoromo frowned.

"But you were able to summon all of us weren't you?" Sasuke pointed out.

"Yes but I knew where you all were," The Sage shook his head. "I have no idea where Ashura's successor is right now. If Kaguya still had her power, I might be able to track her given the strength she had but… I am afraid Naruto must make his own way back."

"He'll do it," Sakura declared.

"Hn," Sasuke nodded curtly. "That idiot has the weirdest luck."

"He's Kushina-chan's son," Minato smiled softly. "He'll definitely make his way back home."

"I was hoping to see if Naruto and Sasuke could finally end the brother's hatred…" Hagoromo looked at Sasuke, "The Legacy of Indra and Ashura, but it appears as if that will not happen." He closed his arms and put his palms together, "And with this… The Infinite Tsukuyomi ends."

"Just like that?" Sakura blinked.

"Indeed," Hagoromo opened his eyes. "Your friends are free and my duty here is done. I pray that Naruto returns to this dimension. Maybe then the brother's conflict can finally have a satisfying conclusion."

"I hope so," Sakura mumbled, her confidence faltering as she saw the survivors of the rookie eleven make their way towards her. "I really hope so..." She looked away, unable to take the look of fear on Hinata's face.

"W-where is Naruto-kun?" She frowned. "I can't see him."

"The dobe got himself sent to another dimension."

"W-well can't we get him back?" Hinata asked.

"Dimensional travel isn't that simple." Kakashi smiled weakly.

"But you can do it right?" Kiba stepped forward.

"He is gone. Accept it." Sasuke stated bluntly.

"Naruto…" Hinata stepped backwards as if she had been struck.

"Er… Sasuke-kun…" Sakura stepped forward.

"He never gave up on you!" Kiba advanced on the Uchiha angrily. "But you would just give up on him that easily?!"

"I never asked him to get involved in my life."

"You bastard!" Kiba growled and stepped forwards.

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata tried to stop her teammate as Sakura tried to defuse the situation.

' _You've barely been gone for ten minutes and already everyone is at each other's throats.'_ Sakura bit her lip. _'Please come back soon Naruto. '_

* * *

 _Elsewhere_

Naruto blinked stupidly as he stared at an empty eyed Kaguya. The two of them were surrounded by completely featureless white space. There was no wind, no noise, nothing. His mind told him he was falling but there was no air rushing past him and his clothes remained flat against his body.

"So…" Naruto coughed awkwardly after what had seemed like an eternity to him, "Are you going to attack me?"

"...You don't understand what you have done do you?" Kaguya sounded tired.

"Hopefully I stopped you," Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh you did that," Kaguya went to clap, before realizing that she was an arm short, staring at the loose Kimono sleeve hanging from her left shoulder. "You won! Congratulations. You just stopped the last chance of peace for the entire world. Tell me… how do you like your reward?"

Naruto fidgeted awkwardly. "Did we die?"

"If this is purgatory… that is possible." Kaguya frowned.

"Can't you open a portal to escape?"

"How?" Kaguya snapped. "You've stripped me of my chakra! We are stuck in this space between dimensions until we reach the exit. I… I have never created a portal this long before."

"You mean the seal worked?" Naruto sighed in relief. "Wait… did I seal myself with you?! How am I going to become Hokage if I am sealed away!"

"I told you we are in a space between dimensions," Kaguya scowled at the panicking blond. "Your seal only affects me and even then it was only a partial effect," Kaguya glared at him. "All the chakra I had has been stripped."

"Everything for your coils is sealed away?"

"Coils?" Kaguya chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't have chakra coils. Hagoromo was the one who created them in humanity! My power stemmed from… another source."

"The Ten-tails?"

"That is one name for it I suppose." Kaguya conceded. "At least one that someone as limited as you could comprehend. I was a Goddess until you cast me from my throne with your desire for eternal war."

"I have no love of war! I wanted to stop the war that was happening and that's why I stopped you!" Naruto scowled.

"If you truly wanted the war to end you could have just surrendered rather than prolong the war and suffering."

"You had everyone trapped in a Genjutsu and sucked their chakra from them!"

"And is that so wrong?" Kaguya frowned. "They were happy! They had their dreams realized! There was peace but now… now there will be naught but more anger, hatred and death. That is your victory."

"You have little faith in people don't you," Naruto shook his head. "Well I guess I'll just have to show you the error of your ways."

"I have witnessed the darkness of humanity. I know too well your legacy of hate and war." Kaguya put her arm on her hip. "I will not be swayed by your words."

"Sure humanity is pretty dark at times," Naruto nodded, "But there is light in there as well! I mean, did you see us? We all allied together, all the villages united as one to stop you! There is hope for humanity."

"You are a naive fool," Kaguya scoffed.

"Well you are just a cynical old rabbit hag!"

"I may no longer be a goddess but I am a Princess! You will address me as such."

"Okay Princess Rabbit Hag."

"I will not be drawn into your childish games." Kaguya declared.

Naruto opened his mouth to retort when suddenly his entire body jerked as if someone had tugged sharply on a rope wrapped around his waist.

He blinked and found himself laid down on a strange black material with white lines on it. Glancing around his saw massive buildings that looked incredibly foreign to him. Some were made from glass and seemed to be so tall they dwarfed the Hokage Monument.

People wearing strange outfits had stopped and were looking at them, some of them had pulled strange devices from their pockets and were pointing them at him. Straining his senses, he failed to detect any chakra from them, although he could understand what they were saying, or at least most of it anyway. He wasn't sure what Nico Nico Douga was or what uploading meant but parts of their language was recognizable to him. Apparently he was stood on a road and the strange metal things racing by him making strange honking noises were cars.

As he took in his strange surroundings, he saw Kaguya struggling to stand with her one arm. She glared at him as he walked towards her.

"Stay back!" She barked at Naruto "I will not be pitied by your kind!"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked as Kaguya stood up.

"You who profit from war will gain no satisfaction from me. Argh!" Kaguya pointed her arm at Naruto, "I… I have lost all of my powers…" She mumbled as she attempted to launch an Ash Killing Spear at Naruto with no success "And I am trapped in this strange dimension…" She clenched her fist angrily. "I have failed my dimension and this… this is my hell."

"You… You can't use _any_ of your powers?" Naruto bit his lip uncertainly.

' _ **This could be a trap.'**_ Kurama warned him.

' _I don't know. Look at her.'_ Naruto felt sorry for the former goddess. _'She's just had all of her plans derailed and her powers stolen.'_

' _ **She tried to kill everyone.'**_

' _I think… I think she was trying to save them in her own way. Just a really messed up and completely wrong way.'_

' _ **... I may not be the original Kurama that was sealed within you but I have a vague recollection of his memories, enough to know that you always see the best in people and somehow get them to see it too… Although if you win her over I think we can upgrade your 'Friendship Power' from impressive to Godly.'**_

Naruto walked towards the distraught princess, suddenly crouching as he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the new threat. It was a strange metal vehicle, kind of like the train he had seen previously whilst in the Land of Spring except this didn't seem to run on tracks. He could make out an angry man through a glass window on front of the vehicle who was pointing at Kaguya and gesturing wildly for her to move.

"Er… Princess Bunny Hag?" Naruto coughed awkwardly.

"What?" Kaguya noticed the rapidly approaching vehicle, it's wheels locked up as it struggled to stop. "Oh..." ' _Without my powers… I guess there is no point in trying to escape. My only victory is that the Ashura's successor will be trapped here.'_ She closed her eyes and awaited the embrace of death.

"What the hell?!" Naruto raced towards her. _'Kurama! I need some more chakra! I'm running on empty!'_

' _ **Sorry kid. I don't know why but your chakra system is busted. I'm working on fixing it but it will take a few more minutes.'**_

' _I don't have enough time!"_ Naruto dived at the strangely relaxed Kaguya, pushing her out of the way of the truck and onto a raised sidewalk.

"W-what?" Kaguya opened her eyes and met Naruto's. ' _Is that… concern? Why would someone who profits from war be concerned about my wellbeing?!'_

He noticed her curious expression and smiled, just as the truck hit him, skidding forwards a good twelve feet as other vehicles swerved and crashed into each other.

In a matter of minutes, the road had become a warzone, with crashed cars and angry humans getting out of them. Amongst the angry yells and confused cries, Kaguya sat on the sidewalk confused.

"Why?" Kaguya continued to stare at the spot where she had made eye contact with Naruto. "Why did he do that?"

* * *

 _Several Minutes Earlier_

"I hate my job sometimes," Kuroko Smith groaned as she sat in her favorite cafe, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee, her usual appreciation for the caffeinated beverage dulled by the sheer magnitude of the task before her. Several folders lay on her table, problem cases for her agency. Each one has a red stamp across the front [APPLICATION TO HOST PROGRAM DENIED: COHABITATION IMPOSSIBLE].

She crossed her legs, adjusting her tights under her skirt before returning her attention to the documents. Absentmindedly brushing a speck of dust from her suit jacket.

All of them were declared too dangerous or troublesome to be allowed a human handler. Usually this would have just resulted in their applications being rejected and that was that but in this case, these girls were ones Kuroko had interviewed herself and knew that they were fit for introduction into human life. Unfortunately, when she had pointed this out to her superiors, they had decided if they girls truly were capable of learning to live alongside humans, the Ms. Smith would be the one to set them up with a suitable host. Usually this wouldn't have been too hard, Kuroko has access to a database of all registered hosts and with the help of a few key phrases she could have her host greeting his or her new arrivals within a day. She had mastered the art of assigning hosts to maximize the time she had for personal pursuits and initially had thought that it would be easy to find suitable hosts for these 'dangerous' girls.

Unfortunately for Kuroko, these girls required a special case, the handler would have to be far stronger than the average human in order to maximize his chances of survival. There were a few handlers that could have satisfied this criteria, but not a lot.

Next they would have to be kind and calming, considering the easily agitated nature of some of the girls. This left two hosts.

Finally, they would have to live in a remote area or at the very least be prepared to move to a remote area. This would allow the girls to gradually become accustomed to light human traffic and grow more comfortable with human interaction before throwing them in the deep end on a city visit. This was where things became difficult: None of the registered hosts were prepared to move and all of them lived in the city center.

Kuroko was at her wit's end. These girls (and her spare time) were counting on her to solve the handler issue quickly and promptly.

"But where am I going to find such a person?" Kuroko took her sunglasses off and rubbed her forehead before replacing the glasses and standing up, tucking the files under her arm and leaving the store, half drank coffee left forgotten in her frustration. As she got out she saw a strange Liminal, one that she couldn't place, stood in the middle of the road. A blonde male, probably her handler, was talking to her but it didn't look as if the one armed Liminal was paying any attention.

"Great a handler who can't control his Liminals," Kuroko scoffed. "Some of these handlers must have paid someone to get put on the register, probably hoping for a 'cute cat girl' or something." She sighed. "Oh crap. I left my coffee behind!" She noticed the approaching truck. "That's not good. GET OFF OF THE ROAD!" She watched in shock as the human pushed the strange looking woman out of the way of the vehicle, taking the hit in her place. The Liminal was pushed onto the sidewalk, staring blankly at the spot where her handler had been.

"Damn it," Kuroko cursed and ran over as the stunned Liminal stood staring into space.

"What the hell you damn monster!" The driver of the truck that had struck the handler kicked his door open and dived out of his truck, making a beeline for the stunned woman. "What did you think you were doing?"

"This is a Liminal incident," Ms. Smith cleared her throat.

"Damn monsters shouldn't be allowed out if they can't follow orders! How am I going to be able to work knowing I killed a man? Say your government right? I'd better get some compensation for this crap!"

"I will deal with your complaints in a moment," She noticed that many other cars had crashed in their attempts to miss the truck and a whole horde of angry people were starting to congregate around the silent Liminal. "Not good," She pressed a concealed button on the inside of her suit, sounding the silent alarm to the MON squad. "Listen everyone! I know that you are all angry but…"

"SON OF A BITCH!"

"...Eh?" The angry crowd went silent as the sound of metal groaning reverberated from the front of the truck and the blonde human staggered towards them, blood leaking from a cut on his forehead but otherwise unharmed. "What _is_ that?!"

"Er… Sir?" Ms. Smith blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Naruto shook his head, clearly the fog from his brain. "Oh crap! Princess Bunny Hag!"

"Who?" Ms. Smith tilted her head as Naruto ran over to Kaguya.

"Hey you in there?" Naruto reached out to shake Kaguya but she grabbed his outstretched arm tightly.

"Why… Why did you save me? Do you want me to suffer this… this weakness?"

"Weakness?" Naruto looked thoughtful, "Okay so you've lost your powers but it isn't all that bad. So you can't fight anymore but didn't you say you wanted peace? Isn't this better for you?"

"How can I achieve peace if I can't fight?"

"Peace shouldn't be achieved by fighting. That's why your peace would never work." Naruto sat down next to Kaguya. "Peace can only be achieved by two people sitting down and understanding each other. Okay?"

"...Your argument makes some sense," Kaguya agreed. "But some people are unwilling to listen and see things from another's point of view."

"Well in that case you just have to try harder to get them to hear you." Naruto nodded sagely.

"Is that so?" Kaguya frowned as she stared at Naruto. "That is a very simplistic way of looking at things. Peace by talking would be nice but it is a child's dream."

"Maybe," Naruto admitted, "But I won't know unless I try."

"What a strange human you are," Kaguya shook her head.

"I don't understand what is going on here," Ms. Smith cleared her throat, "But I am afraid I need you both to come with me."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I am afraid that you will have to have your permit revoked."

"...My what?" Naruto blinked.

"Your Handler's Permit."

"...What?" Naruto repeated.

"You… You are a handler right?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I am a ninja."

"A… Ninja?"

"That's right. She's a Bunny Goddess."

"...Okay," Kuroko nodded to the paramedics who started to examine Naruto. "Clearly you have taken some brain damage. It isn't a surprise. If anything the fact that you appear so healthy is a surprise. You were just hit by… I'd say about twenty tonnes at high speed. How are you alive?" _'If he could survive that then he could survive anything! If he isn't her handler yet tried to save her… Maybe the solution to my nightmares has just landed itself in my lap'_

"Oh that's easy." Naruto laughed. "I just used chakra to protect myself." _'I would have been able to avoid all this hassle if someone had been a little faster in providing me with some.'_

' _ **Hey, we both lost a lot of chakra fighting Kaguya. Not my fault that you wasted almost all of yours and had to wait on me to channel what little I had left you. Give me some credit that you aren't a smear on the front of that thing.'**_ Kurama grumbled.

"Chakra?" Ms. Smith frowned. "Isn't that something to do with meditation?"

Before Naruto could answer, there was a cry of alarm and Kaguya found herself pulled to her feet by one of the drivers.

"Let go of me! Do you know who it is you touch?!" Kaguya pulled herself free from the irate driver.

"Bitch did you see what you did to my new car?" He snarled at her. "Who is going to reimburse me huh?!"

"You say that as if it is my concern," Kaguya brushed her kimono. "My mind is burdened by greater concerns than that of the lower classes." _'Like how am I going to get back home and save my world from the wars that will one day destroy it.'_

"Lower… Who the hell do you think you are?!" The driver went to punch Kaguya.

"Sir!" Ms. Smith mentally cursed. _'If he hits her…'_

"HEY!" Naruto erupted into a golden aura, a giant golden hand grabbing the man and lifting him up.

"What the… another new Liminal?" Ms. Smith blinked.

"Were you really going to hit a defenseless woman?!" Naruto yelled at the driver.

"P-put me down! You… You monster!"

"...Like I haven't heard that before." Naruto's fringe covered his eyes. "But if you ask me," He looked up, his blue eyes piercing the very soul of the driver. "Those who would attack a harmless old lady are the real monsters."

"Old?" Ms. Smith looked at Kaguya. _'She doesn't look that much older than me. Wait… Does that mean I look old?'_ Before she could have a image crisis, a familiar voice sounded in her ear.

[I'm in position.] A soft voice sounded in Ms. Smith's concealed earpiece.

"Manako," Smith let out a happy sigh. "Wait for my signal. Please drop him," She called out to Naruto. "I am afraid should you attack you will be deported to your homeland."

' _ **Hah! I'd like to see her try.'**_

"I can't just stand back and let someone get hurt for something that wasn't their fault." Naruto dropped the man. "That being said I am not here to cause trouble." He glanced over his shoulder at the top of the building and scowled.

[Ah?!]

"Manako?" Smith hissed. "What's wrong?!"

[He… He looked at me right in the eye!]

"That's not possible," she glanced at Naruto, still clad in his golden cloak. "You are on the top of an eighty floor building!"

"Huh?" Naruto frowned. "Never seen a girl with one eye before. I mean Kaguya has… had three." He glanced at the sullen goddess. _'Although I guess the third eye relied on chakra so she lost that when Sasuke and I sealed her.'_

"Pardon?" Ms. Smith blinked.

"Oh there is a girl with one eye on top of that building.' Naruto pointed.

[He's pointing right at me!]

"What kind of a Liminal are you?" Kuroko asked.

"Liminal?" Naruto blinked.

"Like how I am a human," Ms. Smith explained.

"Oh I'm a human too," Naruto nodded and dispelled his cloak.

"...What?"

"And she's… er…" Naruto glanced at Kaguya.

"I am not of this world," Kaguya remarked.

"Well…" Kuroko let out a sigh of relief as a giant figure completely covered in a giant bomb disposal suit walked towards them. "Tionishia. I'm glad you were able to make it."

"Wow…" Naruto looked up at the eight-foot-tall behemoth.

"Could I persuade you to come with me? Peacefully preferably."

"...Okay." Naruto nodded. "What about PRH?"

"PRH?" Smith blinked.

"Princess Rabbit Hag," Naruto smirked, "It's quicker and easier to say that."

"She will come with us." Smith nodded to Tionishia, who carefully picked up Kaguya.

"Unhand me you giant beast!" Kaguya demanded.

"Huh," Naruto chuckled as the giant figure threw Kaguya over her shoulder and followed Kuroko. _'To think literally an hour ago she was the biggest threat to the Elemental nations…'_

' _ **Hehehe… Karma's a bitch!'**_ Kurama chuckled.

"Is something funny?" Kaguya (resigned to her fate) glared at Naruto as he trailed behind the ogre.

"N-No…" Naruto smiled weakly and stepped back. _'She might not have her chakra but she has one hell of a glare…'_

' _ **It was all Naruto's fault!'**_

' _She can't hear you."_

 _ **'I'm not taking any chances.'**_ Kurama mumbled.

* * *

 _Cultural Exchange HQ_

Naruto looked around curiously as he sat at a large wooden table. Kaguya and himself had both been dragged into the office and left there, the giant behemoth clad in armor standing over them. Ms. Smith was sat opposite him, currently reading a few files, biting her lip occasionally and jotting things down in a notebook.

"So," Naruto coughed awkwardly. "What do you want to talk about?"

Ms. Smith looked at him over the top of her sunglasses and sighed. "Well… We are currently waiting on some forms to carry out a few tests on you. Nothing too serious."

"Tests?" Naruto felt his heart thudding in his chest. _'No fair! I thought I was done with tests!'_

' _ **Say Naruto? Aren't you still a Genin? Wouldn't that mean you have the Chuunin and Jounin exams still to do?'**_

' _What? I saved the world damn it! That's gotta be worth a promotion to at least Jounin!'_

"Basically you will provide us with a sample and we will send it down to our labs," Ms. Smith returned her attention to her files.

"Oh, Okay," Naruto nodded and returned to looking around the room. There were various things that he didn't recognize. "Hey what's that thing?" he whispered to Kaguya nodding at a large black machine with a small gap, roughly big enough to fit your hand in. It had several buttons and a display that simply displayed 'NO CHANGE.'

"Why are you asking me?" Kaguya glared at the strange contraption. "It is probably some sort of torture device used on those who want to overthrow the ruling dynasty, hence the words 'No Change.' Of course I will not be tortured as I am a noble. You on the other hand…"

"W-what do you mean? I'm technically a prince if you think about it. "

"How so?"

"Well my dad was the leader of my village," Naruto pointed out. "That would make him like a king and me a prince right? And you're the Rabbit Princess so technically we are equally noble from a certain point of view."

"No." She firmly denied Naruto's logic and fixed him with a soul-searing glare, "I refuse to share my noble title with you!"

"Geez," Naruto looked away, the intensity of her glare unnerving him.

"It is an interesting device isn't it?" Kaguya turned her glance to the strange contraption. "Maybe… Maybe they put your hand in that slot and press some of those buttons and the different buttons inflict a different torture."

"Like what?"

"Maybe one pulls out your fingernails, another keeps cutting you with increasingly deeper cuts until your hand is shredded like confetti."

"Y-you think?" Naruto gulped. "How do you know so much about torture? Are you some sort of sadist?!"

"A noble never dirties their own hands. It is our duty to be the paragon of what everyone should aspire to be."

"So when did you give up on that idea and settle for being some mad genocidal bunny hag?" Naruto flinched under her glare.

"Back when I was a child we had a torturer," Kaguya shook her head sadly. "It was a sad thing that such a person was necessary to protect my people."

"Why did you need one?"

"How can I protect those I am sworn to care for if I do not know what threats exist. My enemies were seldom kind enough to send me a letter containing all of their plans."

"Well…" Naruto faltered. "Even so I don't believe torture is the way forward."

"Oh and your village didn't have any torturers?"

"Er…" Naruto looked away awkwardly.

"That's what I thought," Kaguya nodded, feeling smug, although this feeling evaporated rather quickly when Ms. Smith walked over to the strange machine. Naruto and Kaguya suddenly felt very nervous.

"Ladies first I suppose," Ms. Smith turned to Kaguya.

"Torture Ashura's inheritor if you must but I will never speak!" Kaguya declared.

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded. "Wait… What did you say?"

"Torture?" Ms. Smith chuckled. "I know the coffee here is pretty grim but I wouldn't go that far."

"Coffee?" Kaguya and Naruto glanced at each other before watching Ms. Smith press several buttons and a small plastic cup appeared in the opening, which Ms. Smith took out and sipped before grimacing.

"The person who built this contraption should be arrested for crimes against caffeine," She muttered before sitting down, "Are you sure I can't get you anything to drink?"

"I used to be impartial to a glass of wine," Kaguya nodded. "Left in a cellar for 250 years and made from the finest grapes. It used to cost as much as an entire village. A drink such as that would be fine for my tastes."

"I don't think we have anything that expensive," Ms. Smith sweat dropped.

"Water's fine with me," Naruto beamed.

"Now that we can accommodate." Ms. Smith walked over to him and handed him the drink, which Naruto quickly drank. "Let me take that back," She smiled and put the cup in a sealed bag before walking over to Tionishia and taking a long silvery strand of hair from her armor and putting it in another bag and handing it to the giant armored woman. "Here takes these to the lab and you can get out of that armor now. Thanks," Ms. Smith watched her leave and returned to the table. "Now then… I have a few questions for you."

"I'm ready for anything!" Naruto declared despite the hunted look in his eyes.

"Well then, first of all I need your names, age and gender."

"Well this is Princess Rabbit Hag, she is ridiculously old and possibly female and I am…" Naruto said as he started to introduced them.

"This is Ashura's Inheritor." Kaguya interrupted him. "Possibly male as I have yet to meet a female with such poor personal hygiene. His mental age I would estimate as around 5 years old."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!" Naruto scowled. "Age… er what day is it?"

"October 10th."

"Oh then I'm 17." Naruto blinked. "Male in case you were wondering."

"And I am her royal highness, Kaguya Otsutsuki the Rabbit Goddess. As for my age and gender, it is not done to ask a noble lady for her age."

"Because she so damn old." Naruto added helpfully.

"So that's Naruto and Kaguya right?" She looked at Naruto. "As in the blonde chef?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked confused.

"What a stupid name," Kaguya snorted.

"Wait? You didn't know my name?" Naruto looked at Kaguya who merely shrugged

"I am a noble, why should I need to know your name?" She looked at her fingernails on her one hand. "All that is required is that you know my name and address me with the respect I am due from my noble birth"

"So where are you both from?" Ms. Smith tried to cut off the argument.

"The Elemental Nations, land of Fire for me. A village called Konoha, you've probably heard of it." Naruto remarked. "I'm kind of a big shot there."

"Never heard of it," Ms. Smith smiled apologetically, "Where is it on this map," She pushed a tablet across the table to Naruto.

"Er… Wow what is this?" Naruto started playing with the screen.

"What a strange device." Kaguya also leaned forwards.

"The map moves when I swipe my finger across it!"

Ms. Smith couldn't help but smile as the two started to play with the tablet.

"As a noble, you should leave such devices in my control. You would only damage them with your limited intelligence." She looked at the map. "But to answer your question, this map is not familiar to me."

"Or me," Naruto added.

"I would be surprised if you even recognized a map of your home village. The common class were not meant to read, merely to farm and live their lives."

"I don't have a clue how to farm."

"Then you truly are a failure." Kaguya remarked.

"Well then," Kuroko took the tablet back. "I guess I'll put you down as Tokyo."

"Tokyo?"

"That's where we are now."

"Never heard of it."

"Never…" Ms. Smith blinked. "Are you from some sort of lost tribe that never made contact with humanity or something."

"Or something," Kaguya and Naruto replied in sync.

"I see," She chuckled. "Well I have registered you on the system. The test results have come back. Apparently you are human," She glanced at Naruto, "And you…" She looked at Kaguya, "Well we've never seen anything like you."

"That doesn't surprise me," Kaguya smirked.

"Now… You see the little trouble you caused this morning means you probably won't be welcome in town for a while but, I'll tell you something. I know a place you can lay low. It's an exclusive property and you are free to remodel it however you like. There will be very few people nearby so you don't have to worry about noise. In fact, this is a prime real estate opportunity I am only offering you because after talking to you, I think you are the kind of person I could entrust this place to."

"Well that's kind and everything but I'm planning to go back home," Naruto smiled.

"Do you know how to get back home?"

"Er… Not really," Naruto admitted and glanced at Kaguya, who raised an eyebrow at his questioning look.

"What? I have no chakra remember? Even if I did, I can't guarantee that I could find my way home. Even if I could what makes you think that I would take you with me?" Kaguya scoffed.

"My winning personality?"

"Was that a joke? I do not understand your lower class humor." Kaguya frowned.

"That wasn't supposed to be a joke…" Naruto slumped over in his chair.

"Moving on," Ms. Smith tried to get the conversation back on track. "Why not take me up on my offer? All I ask is that you help me out with my tasks."

"Tasks?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, aware of the sort of 'tasks' that would be asked of missing nin in his home.

"As I'm sure you have noticed," Ms. Smith smiled softly. "There are many girls like Kaguya here."

"Trust me, there is no one like me here."

"These girls," Ms. Smith continued, ignoring Kaguya's comment, "All have special needs that mean they cannot be cared for by a normal human."

"Why would they need caring for at all?"

"...You really are from some back of the woods kind of place aren't you?" Ms. Smith chuckled. "Okay have you heard of the Cultural Exchange Between Species Bill? Or the Interspecies Exchange Bill as it is also known."

"The what?" Naruto's blank face was mirrored by Kaguya.

"... To summarize a few years ago, demi-humans or Liminals if you prefer, and humanity signed an agreement to live alongside each other." Ms. Smith smiled, "The Interspecies Exchange Bill is basically an agreement to help humans and other races grow used to each other. In essence a handler is assigned a Liminal and is responsible for their behavior, to help them get used to everyday life."

"Okay?"

"So basically all I'm asking is if you help someone adjust to a human presence!" Ms. Smith smiled.

"But I'm not that well informed on… this place," Naruto pointed out.

"True, but you are human," Ms. Smith pointed out. "That is all that the bill requires of a handler."

"Okay." Naruto accepted this.

"I am a coordinator so I will be there to support you and any Liminal guests you receive." Ms. Smith "Don't you think that's a good deal? You get a free house and will receive an allowance to help you live and I don't tell the police where the two individuals who caused a massive pile up in the middle of a busy intersection are."

"So blackmail then?" Kaguya frowned.

"Blackmail is such an ugly term." Ms. Smith smiled over her glasses. "I am just giving you a chance to help people in need."

"Why me? Don't you have other handlers?"

"These girls are special amongst the Liminals. They are too dangerous in the eyes of the ambassadors but after interviewing them, I can tell they are good people who dream of being more integrated into society. That's why I need a special human. You are the last chance for these girls. You aren't going to let them down are you? You have a dream right? How would you feel if someone selfishly denied you the chance to achieve your dream?"

' _My dream… How would I feel if I was denied the chance to become Hokage… Hell if I can't get back I won't be able to do it at all, will I?"_ He felt hollow just thinking about it. _'No… I will become Hokage! I'll find a way back! But while I'm here I might as well help people out right?'_

' _ **Wow.'**_

' _What?'_

' _ **This woman is dangerous. Within a matter of minutes, she has already got your weakness identified. I foresee more of this in the future.'**_ Kurama chuckled. _**'Well it should be interesting if nothing else.'**_

"I guess I can help you out," Naruto remarked. "But only until I find my way back home."

' _Fool,'_ Kaguya shook her head. _'Being so easily manipulated. Being a bleeding heart will only get you killed. No wonder you opposed my peace. You are far too small minded to understand the bigger picture beyond what's right in front of you.'_

"Excellent!" Ms. Smith clapped her hands happily. "I'll have your transport arranged and since I'm guessing you don't have a cell phone, I'll throw one of those in free of charge."

"Thanks?"

"Now shoo!" Ms. Smith sipped her coffee. "I have people to call."

* * *

 _Some Time Later_

"She did say an exclusive property right?" Naruto blinked as he stood before his new 'house'.

Shortly after their meeting, Naruto and Kaguya had been put into a car and driven for what seemed like an eternity to the blonde ninja. Finally, the car pulled to a halt near a giant lake and the two dimensionally displaced travelers got out of the car, which drove away before they could ask any questions.

"I am not sleeping in that." Kaguya scowled. "As a noble I will settle for only the finest of residences!"

Naruto looked at the ruined farmhouse with a sigh. It was in need of some severe restoration work, though it was practically a mansion in size, if not in appearance. "A farm."

"A run down farm," Kaguya corrected as she looked at the weed infested fields and various barns in disrepair. "One not managed in some time I would imagine."

"You know about farming?"

"No," Kaguya looked insulted. "That is the work of the common people. I have visited many a farm in my duties as a Princess." She smiled. "My people would always look so happy to see me."

"Huh," Naruto smiled softly at the fond look on Kaguya's face. "Can I ask you something?"

"If you must."

"Why did you agree to come with me?"

"Pardon?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow.

"Well Ms. Smith gave you the choice of entering the program or simply going with me."

"As much as it pains me to admit, without my powers I am… less useful than I would like to be." Kaguya frowned. "Despite this you chose not to finish your job. When you speak it is not of war and hatred but peace, even if it is a misguided one. There may yet be hope for you."

"Thanks?" Naruto chuckled.

"Indeed," Kaguya noted, "You should be grateful that I, Kaguya, have decided to grace you with my presence. I am sure as your tenure as my servant you will develop some class and might even be able to pass for a very minor noble when I am finished with you."

"Servant?" Naruto frowned.

"But of course," Kaguya smirked. "After all you are responsible for my current state are you not?"

"W-well…"

"And I am helpless, as you are so keen to point out."

"That is true but…"

"So it seems to me the only decent thing for you to do is assist me in my daily routine."

"I suppose the little things might…."

"So go on servant," Kaguya declared. "Build me a house worthy of my presence."

"For someone who has lost all of their power, you are sure bossy," Naruto frowned as he summoned a small army of clones. "Fortunately I had plenty of experience repairing buildings on my training trip with Ero-sennin." He smirked before frowning softly. "To think all I did was yell at him for wasting my time and not training me. What I'd do for just one more day…" He closed his eyes.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Kaguya barked. "You wasteful servant!"

"Eh?" Naruto frowned. "You asked me to fix the building?"

"I didn't tell you to waste my chakra!"

"Your chakra?"

"I am the mother of all chakra," Kaguya put her arm on her hip.

"Is that so," Naruto grinned as summoned his golden cloak, creating several crude hands that started to make obscene gestures at her.

"S-stop that!" Kaguya ordered as Naruto cackled before setting to work repairing the house, "Idiotic servant," She grumbled as she sat down on the grass, watching Naruto and his clones swarm the building with a single minded purpose that was almost impressive and would have earned him an iota of respect from Kaguya, at least it would have if not for the fact that half of the house suddenly caved in no less than ten minutes into his work, killing off a fair few clones, which Naruto replaced.

"Wasting my chakra!" Kaguya mumbled under her breath. Still she couldn't say that he wasn't working hard. A small group of clones broke free and started to cut down a few trees from the nearby forest, making sure to plant seeds in place of the cut down tree before setting to work cutting it into timber by using wind chakra (another waste of her chakra).

"Servant!" Kaguya clicked her fingers and the original Naruto appeared in a flash of yellow.

"What?" Naruto crossed his arms, his forehead sweaty.

"I require entertainment."

"That's your problem," Naruto turned to go back to the house.

"What a worthless servant you are," Kaguya sighed. "Tell me, why did you not tell Lady Sunglasses that you had no interest in looking after me?"

"Why?" Naruto chuckled. "Well you're probably my only way back."

"I see," Kaguya nodded. "As painful as it is to admit, we both require each other."

"For the time being," Naruto nodded.

"Very well then." Kaguya nodded. "I declare a truce my lucky Servant."

"My name's Naruto."

"And a stupid name it is," Kaguya remarked. "I shall address you as servant. It is far more dignified than some sort of ramen ingredient."

"Then I guess I'll call you Kaguya."

"You shall address me as Lady Kaguya, The Rabbit Goddess and Princess of the… I believe they are now called the Elemental Nations?"

"How about just Princess Kaguya or Rabbit Goddess?"

"The Rabbit Goddess accepts this." Kaguya nodded.

"Here," Naruto reached out to her.

"What are you doing? The help should never touch their masters you worthless servant!"

"A peace offering. The old sage told me how to use my chakra to heal, not like medical chakra but something older and more potent. It's how I saved Mega Bushy Brows so I figured it might heal your arm you know?"

"...If this is a trap…" Kaguya reached out at accepted his hand, gasping as she felt warmth surge through her body.

Naruto frowned as he watched Kaguya's horn regenerate yet there were no signs of the spare limb regenerating. He tried to force more of his chakra into her, hoping the regenerative properties would take effect shortly.

' _Gah… I feel so warm... '_ Kaguya felt the heat wash over her, _'It… It feels like it is invading me very core. I feel… so strange… I… wait a minute!'_ Kaguya reacted angrily to the new sensations. _'Is he trying to arouse me?!'_ "LEARN YOUR PLACE YOU PERVERTED SERVANT!" She roared before head-butting Naruto in the face.

"What the hell?!" Naruto staggered backwards. "I was trying to heal you!"

"Sure as hell didn't feel like it!" Kaguya took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I see you were able to repair my horn."

"I think all I need is more to channel more chakra to you and I can get your arm to…"

"NO!" Kaguya shook her head furiously. "Never again!"

"But your arm…"

"I would rather I go through life with one arm rather than have you violate my sacred body!"

"Violate your… what are you talking about?"

"When you were forcing your chakra on me!" Kaguya blushed slightly. "A noble lady should not speak of such things!"

"I don't get it?" Naruto frowned as Kaguya refused to say anymore. "Well I guess you got your horns repaired if nothing else."

"...Do not expect thanks." Kaguya remarked. "Such a duty is expected of my servant and you were far too wasteful with the chakra you were using. Still…" she glanced at Naruto. "All in all I suppose you performed… adequately."

"Thanks," Naruto smiled.

"For a servant with absolutely no redeeming qualities or skills anyway."

"...Thanks," Naruto repeated in a deadpan.

"You are welcome servant." Kaguya gestured with her hand. "Now return to your duties."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grumbled. "For what it's worth all the stone work seems in pretty good shape. There's also a lot of electronics in there that seem alright but I wouldn't use them until someone else has had a look at them. There are bits that I haven't seen before and I have no idea what they do." He frowned. "All the wooden parts are rotten so I'm just replacing them."

"And my room?"

"...I can't say it is fit for a princess but I'll try my best to make it livable."

"I suppose that is all I can expect from you."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto sighed as he returned to his work.

Kaguya frowned as she watched Naruto get back to work. She didn't understand him one bit. Back before she was a Goddess everyone was polite to her and bowed their heads in her presence. After she became a Goddess everyone worshipped her as the herald of peace. She was a peaceful Goddess, protecting her people from the horrors of war.

At least that was how it started out but she soon realized that humans would always fight amongst each other. They were like children and she had to be stern to keep them safe but this overbearing attitude of hers only bred resentment and fear. Her own sons used the chakra she had given them against her and when she had tried to reclaim her chakra so that they couldn't hurt anyone, they had sealed her away. Her children betrayed her and for what? Thousands of years of war and suffering. Millions dying in pointless little wars that would never have even happened if not for those foolish children of hers.

She was shaken out of her brooding by something soft nuzzling against her leg. She looked to see a small white bunny rabbit.

"Shoo," Kaguya gestured with her hand and the bunny hopped away, only to return with two more bunnies, who all started to rub against the seated Goddess and settle down. "I said shoo!" She repeated and once again the bunnies fled. "This world is full of strange creatures," She mumbled before returning her attention to Naruto, who was apparently arguing with his clones. "And there is the strangest of them all." She remarked before she got the feeling she was being watched. Turning around she saw 12 bunnies sat a respectful distance behind her, all lined up.

"Do as you will," She sighed and the bunnies started to play around her, with a couple falling to sleep, leaning against her. "How strange," She smiled slightly as she stroked the soft fur of the rabbits.

"Rabbit Goddess indeed," Naruto chuckled as he approached, the rabbits quickly scattering as he got near.

"Unlike someone I could mention, they respect royalty." She stood up. "The house?"

"Is finished, mostly." Naruto escorted Kaguya to the large house. What was once a rusted old farmhouse was now looking like a nice country retreat. Not quite up to Kaguya's high standards as a former Goddess/Princess but it would do for now. She made a mental note to get Naruto to learn how to build better buildings. If she was going to be stranded in this dimension she might as well get comfortable here.

"I must admit; this is actually respectable work. I was right to make you my servant." Kaguya declared as they entered the house.

"As you can see it is a little barebones right now. The lights don't all work but I'm not an electrician so I'm not touching them." Naruto remarked.

"Lights?"

"...Yeah," Naruto walked over to a switch and flicked it, turning the light on.

"Stop wasting chakra you insufferable servant!"

"It isn't chakra it's electricity," Naruto pointed out. "Didn't you have electricity way back when before you were sealed the first time?"

"It is not my duty to understand how things work, that is your duty," Kaguya tried to cover for herself.

"Right…" Naruto smirked, "Anyway we have a bathroom," Naruto walked over to a room. "Complete with a shower and a large bathtub!"

"...This is a bath?"

"Yes."

"But… It is so small?"

"Small?" Naruto glanced at the room. "This is bigger than my old apartment."

"But where are the fountains? My old bath was practically a swimming pool with fountains and a hot waterfall. It was so cozy and warm."

"Well we don't have an indoor bath like that." He gestured to the bathtub. "Heck I don't even know if we have hot water. The boiler wouldn't turn on so I guess I need to get in touch with Ms. Smith somehow but I couldn't find any messenger pigeons to get in contact with her." Naruto paused seeing Kaguya's blank expression, "The boiler is what you use to heat water using electricity."

"I believe my bath was powered by a fire underneath a giant metal container with water in it," Kaguya remarked.

"I could use chakra to heat up a bath should you want one." Naruto offered. "It would be quicker than lighting a fire."

"I see," Kaguya frowned. "I shall consider it."

"And here is your room," Naruto opened it to reveal several clones still tidying it up. "Not much but I guess you will find a way to decorate it. You've got the biggest bed in the place and the softest mattress."

"This shall do for the time being," Kaguya sat down on her bed. "You are dismissed."

"Eh?"

"Begone servant! I am tired."

"Oh… Right," Naruto jerked his head and the clones filed out.

"Ungrateful bunny hag," One of them muttered but Kaguya pretended not to hear it.

"Then… I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"I shall expect my breakfast fully prepared." Kaguya stated.

"How will I do that? I don't know what you like and we have next to no food here!"

"That is a servant's concern."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue before just sighing and leaving.

Once she was sure that Naruto had gone, she covered herself in the blankets and curled up, her lone arm wrapped around her knees. Less than a day ago, she was an all-powerful goddess. Now she was weak, alone and in an unfamiliar environment. She had no allies, only an enemy that didn't want to kill her and soon she would be surrounded by monsters from what the Sunglasses wearing woman had said. As she hugged her knees tighter, Kaguya realized for the first time as long as she could remember, she was afraid.

She paused as she felt something nudging her hand and glanced to see a pure white bunny looking up at her.

"Heh," She laughed weakly. "What a strange place this is." She laid in the bed, which was admittedly comfortable, and tried to fall to sleep, the small rabbit snuggling against her and falling to sleep quickly but for Kaguya, sleep did not come easily.

* * *

 _Middle of the Night_

Kaguya's eye suddenly shot open. She remembered fighting… That's right she was about to complete her plan and finally save her world when she was thwarted. She sat up, dislodging several bunnies that had crept into her room who then proceeded to gather around her, as if waiting for her to do something.

"I shall have to inform that useless servant of mine that he did a poor job of securing my room." Kaguya rubbed the sleep from her eyes before leaving the bed and opening her curtains, the moon was shining in through the window, the pale light reflecting off of her equally pale skin giving her a look of almost ethereal beauty. Unfortunately for Kaguya's bruised ego, no one was here to witness her hauntingly beautiful appearance except the bunnies and they seemed to have little to no awareness of her mood, nor the ability to compliment her even if they could. In fact, all they had done was climb into the slightly crevice where she had been sleeping and fall to sleep themselves.

Kaguya briefly contemplated kicking them out of her bed but decided there was no real point. Just because she was having difficulty sleeping, didn't mean that she had to cause misery to the bunny rabbits. She briefly thought about waking up her servant but decided that he had earned his sleep.

As she was staring out of her window she noticed some movement in one of the barns. She subconsciously went to use her Byakugan before realizing that without her chakra there was little she could actually do. Once again she felt powerless. She had no idea what was going on in that barn. What if it was one of the local monster girls that Sunglasses had been talking about? Here she was with one arm and no powers. Still, they were in a barn that was some distance away. It could wait until the morning, Kaguya decided before climbing back into her bed.

The very instant she shut her eyes she heard a creaking noise downstairs, and that sent a shiver through her entire body. Even the rabbits seemed to be huddling together in fright. She lay perfectly still as the sound of footsteps grew louder as if someone was walking towards her room. She held her breath as the footsteps stopped outside her room, before resuming their journey back downstairs.

What was once fear gave way to anger. She was a (former) goddess and here she was cowering like some sort of… of bunny rabbit! She thought venomously glaring at the fluffy balls that were trying to hide themselves inside her Kimono. Her anger gave her strength and she crept over to the door, slowly pushing it open.

' _Credit where it is due, this door opened rather quietly.'_ Kaguya thought to herself. _'Maybe the servant isn't completely talentless.'_

She softly walked amongst the fresh wooden floors, delicately stepping towards the kitchen area where she saw a shadowy figure rooting through the drawers. Grabbing a wooden rolling pin from the side, she crept towards the mysterious figure and swung with all her strength.

The figure span around and grabbed her arm with little effort.

"Oh no…" Kaguya realized she was in trouble until she felt a ruffling in her kimono sleeve and a small bunny dived at the assailant, taking him by surprise and biting him on the nose.

"Son of a bitch!" A familiar voice cried out.

"Servant?" Kaguya felt an overwhelming sense of relief, followed by a warm sensation as the bunny leapt back into her sleeve.

"Still holding a grudge eh?" Naruto mumbled as he rubbed his nose.

"I… What are you doing up at this time?!" Kaguya rallied. "I thought you were a burglar!"

"Burglar? Here to steal what exactly," Naruto summoned his golden cloak, illuminating the entire room.

"W-well... "Kaguya faltered. "That's not the issue! Stop wasting my chakra! You said there were electric lights here correct?!"

"The bulbs don't work and I couldn't find any spare." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "As for why I am up right now, I was seeing what I could make for breakfast. I couldn't sleep," He massaged his neck. "The sofa isn't very comfortable."

"Sofa?"

"Well you've got the only bed and I haven't even started on fixing my room."

"W-what?" Kaguya blinked.

"Well you wanted to go to sleep so I figured I'd work on my room tomorrow." Naruto replied.

"Oh," Kaguya felt the tiniest smidgen of respect for Naruto. "Putting your master first. Maybe you do have some talent as a servant after all."

"Thanks?" Naruto wasn't sure how to take it but given Kaguya's abrasive attitude thus far, he chose to take it as a compliment.

"So what will be for breakfast." Kaguya sat down at a counter before she noticed Naruto's questioning look. "I can't sleep."

"You couldn't sleep either?" Naruto chuckled. "This place will take some getting used to that's for sure. It's a lot bigger than my old place. Doesn't feel like a home either. But then again it's only until we find a way back."

"I… When I was royalty I always had someone to look after me, to ensure my bed was perfect and that nothing would interrupt my sleep. When I became a Goddess I didn't need to sleep. Now I find myself needing it again but… I do not feel safe here."

"I'm sure you will eventually," Naruto smiled. "It's just a matter of getting used to it."

"As you say," Kaguya sighed deeply. "So…" She steered the conversation back to the original topic, "What is there to eat?"

"Well…" Naruto put a small bag on the counter. "Fortunately Ms. Smith left us some things." He pulled out an old flip phone. "Not sure what this is." He remarked as he put it on the desk. "Instant ramen!" Naruto's face lit up as he pulled out several containers. "Well that's me sorted. What else do we have?" He pulled out a bag and let out a snort of laughter.

"What is it?" Kaguya narrowed her eyes.

"For you," Naruto grinned as he handed her several carrots.

"I feel Sunglasses and I are going to have to have some words," Kaguya remarked before taking one of the carrots and taking an angry bite of it.

"What… You are actually going to eat that?"

"Better this than… whatever that instant ramen stuff is." Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "It doesn't look appetizing."

"That's just the container," Naruto smirked. "The ramen is inside."

"I knew that!" Kaguya lied.

"Uh-huh," Naruto chuckled.

"What were you doing in the nearest barn then?"

"...What?"

"I saw something in there." Kaguya took another angry bite of the carrot.

"I… I haven't left this house." Naruto remarked.

"... Oh…" Kaguya felt nervous. "Don't you think you should investigate?"

"Me?"

"Well… What am I going to do?" Kaguya remarked. "If I had my powers I would deal with it myself but someone _just happened_ to have sealed those away."

"Oh right, sorry." Naruto paused, "Well not sorry for sealing your powers. You deserved that." He started to leave before he got an idea and grinned evilly. "So I'll leave you here then. All alone. Powerless. I mean I'm sure whatever was in the barn is still in there. Unless I attracted them to this building with my chakra but I'm sure that didn't happen." He dispelled his cloak and walked out of the kitchen.

Kaguya sat there, angrily staring at the remaining half of a carrot, a bunny perched on her arm and looking at her, twitching its nose.

"I know he just said that to scare me into going with him." Kaguya told the bunny. "It isn't going to work. I am perfectly safe here right?"

The bunny jumped from her hand.

"I mean… Why would anyone want to break in here? It isn't as if anyone who might have a grudge against me is in this dimension as well right? I mean… Indra's inheritor isn't here… right? He was kicked away from the portal by the servant…. Right?"

There was a loud creak and the rabbit goddess raced out of the house towards Naruto, leaving behind the carrot and the rabbit who simply hopped over to the vegetable and started to nibble happily.

* * *

 _Outside_

Naruto frowned as he looked at the barn. He had seen movement but with the only source of light currently hidden behind some clouds, he wasn't able to see what was in there. As he got closer her could hear a strange noise, several light thuds as if something with more than four legs was running and jumping around. He might even say something was scurrying around.

"What is it?" Kaguya asked directly in Naruto's ear, nearly giving him a heart attack.

"Don't know…" Naruto swallowed. "But be quiet please. I want to catch them unawares."

Kaguya scowled at him for basically telling her to shut up, but otherwise followed his request. The two creeped up to the barn's entrance before noting the scurrying had stopped. Naruto squinted into the darkness.

"Anything?"

"!" Naruto furiously mimed being quiet before creeping inside the hut and activating his golden aura, to reveal an empty barn.

"There's nothing here," Kaguya remarked.

"Well maybe somebody scared it off by talking," Naruto replied irritably as he looked up at the ceiling for any exits it might have used, although the roof was more hole than ceiling which provided plenty of possible escape routes.

"Well maybe it was someone lighting up like a flare that scared them off!" Kaguya retorted angrily. "Using my chakra as some sort of cheap light source!"

"Well maybe... it is right behind you!" Naruto finished quietly as he spun around to yell at Kaguya.

"...Is it?"

"...Yes…"

As if on the world's slowest turntable, Kaguya turned around. Illuminated by Naruto's golden glow, a woman stood behind her. She had shoulder length blonde hair and a rather impressive bust. She was wearing a plain white shirt that covered her arms and a black dress that started just below her waist that covered… far more legs than what Kaguya was expecting to see. Below her waist she was a spider with long, thin, brown limbs with darker brown stripes. Her hands were of a similar color and the fingers looked vaguely claw-like. Six red glittering eyes seemed to focus on her.

The three stood in silence for some time, Naruto's shock rapidly fading whilst Kaguya remained still, hoping the strange woman was not aggressive.

"So," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Are you… er… Can you speak."

"Yes." The new arrival bowed her head slightly. Despite her appearance, her voice sounded just like a normal woman and Naruto felt himself calm down at the ability to converse with her.

"Er… Why didn't you?" Naruto asked.

"Species Cultural Exchange Bill, Article 31-A, Sub-Section 4. All Diplomatic Representatives are to follow the orders of their handlers and any relevant government officials unless said order contradicts a principal law." She quoted. "I was requested by Agent Smith to stay put until my representative was sent to meet me at this location."

"Agent… Wait Sunglasses sent you here?" Kaguya found her voice.

"Sunglasses?" The spider girl frowned. "Article 21-D, Sub-Section 1. All human agents and handlers should be treated with the respect that any diplomatic representative deserves."

"I care little for your treaties," Kaguya scowled. "I am of noble blood."

"Don't mind her, she's just grumpy because she didn't get much sleep." Naruto laughed weakly and stepped between the two girls. "So… Did Ms. Smith tell you who your representative is?"

"Indeed," The spider produced some paperwork and handed it to Naruto, who decided it best not to question where she produced it from.

"Let me see here… Hmm…" Naruto scowled. _'It seems to be written in a language I understand, at least in parts. I have no idea what I am looking at. Wait… That's my name!'_ "Oh this is me!" Naruto repeated aloud. "I am Naruto Uzumaki! Pleased to meet you."

"I thank you for giving me this chance." The Spider-girl shook his hand. Her hands felt weird to Naruto, but not in a bad way, just in a different way.

"Chance?" Naruto blinked.

"Indeed. I was initially rejected for the Species Exchange program. Agent Smith worked very hard to change that."

"Why were you rejected initially? If it's not a personal question."

"Article 21-E, sub-section 3- a diplomatic representative is required to answer all questions asked by a handler or agent unless answering could infringe on any of the principal laws as detailed in Article 1. If you wish for me to answer I am obligated to do so."

"If you don't want to you don't have to," Naruto chuckled.

"It is nothing personal," The spider-woman shook her head. "It was decided that my hunting instincts would make living in a city environment difficult."

"Hunting instincts?" Kaguya frowned.

"Indeed, I am a Long Leg-type Arachne and we are carnivorous with a very strong innate hunting instinct. It is believed that in a city environment my instincts may lead to me hunting humans. Which would be in violation of Article 1-A Principal Law 3- a diplomatic representative should pose no danger to the public before being allowed on the program."

"You sure know a lot of laws," Naruto laughed weakly.

"I need to."

"Oh where are my manners," Naruto blinked, "I just realized I never asked your name."

The Spider-woman took a deep sigh, "Chichi. My name is Chichi."

"What a vulgar name," Kaguya remarked bluntly.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked clueless. "Isn't that a way of saying dad or something?"

"It can also mean breasts," Chichi admitted. "I assure you I have heard every joke imaginable about it."

"Oh fair enough," Naruto shrugged. "Nice to meet you Chichi. I'm Naruto."

"Such a vulgar woman, speaking freely of such… topics," Kaguya snorted. "Be grateful that I, Kaguya Otsutsuki: Empress of the Moon and the Rabbit Goddess, tolerate your presence."

"Pardon?" Chichi blinked.

"You'll get used to her." Naruto laughed weakly. "So… Er…" He looked at Kaguya then back to Chichi. "What… er... exactly do I have to do?"

"Pardon?"

"What is my job as your handler?"

"I…" Chichi blinked. "Do you not know?"

"Er… Not really," Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"But that is in contrast with Article 1-A Sub-Section 2- All Handlers must be declared competent before being assigned to the program." Chichi frowned.

"Hey I'm plenty competent!" Naruto countered. "I was given this job for a reason."

"Even so," Chichi seemed unimpressed. "I have been waiting here for several hours… I believe that you may not be qualified to for this role. I apologise if this offends you, which would be in violation of Article…"

"Yeah, yeah I get it," Naruto cut her off. "You like your rules. Tell you what? Why don't you come inside and sleep it over? I'll figure out a way to get ahold of Ms. Smith in the morning."

"...Very well." Chichi bowed her head. "As you are currently my handler it is my obligation to comply with any requests you make, within reason."

"Where will she sleep?" Kaguya frowned.

"Oh I had a few clones hanging back at the house who were creating a few spare bedrooms anyway." Naruto grinned at her.

"W-what are you smirking at?"

"Nothing," Naruto chuckled. "One of my clones just dispelled. Apparently you were talking to a bunny but when he stepped into the room the floor board creaked and you were out of there. It was almost as if you knew the Hiraishin technique."

"I know not of what you speak," Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "But I'm sure this technique is as unimpressive as anything else you have done, such as those crude chakra hands you make."

"Crude?!" Naruto crossed his arms as they walked back to the house, Chichi following up the rear. "They have opposable thumbs and everything!"

"My chakra limb was completely indistinguishable from a real limb." Kaguya smirked patronizingly. "But I'm sure for one of your breeding, that was a good attempt." She patted him on the head.

Naruto glared at her back.

"It appears that your other charge doesn't respect you," Chichi noted.

"About half a day ago we were trying to kill each other." Naruto shrugged.

"...I don't know where to start with how many rules that breaks."

"Oh don't worry. I'm 25% sure she's forgiven me. I mean I only cost her arm, her powers and possibly stranded her in a foreign world." Naruto smiled at Chichi who wasn't entirely what to say back.

"Why do you put up with her?" Chichi asked. "I mean, Article 21-A says…"

"Let me tell you about some rules I live by," Naruto stopped to look at her. "I call them my Nindo or my ninja way. I will never give up, so long as I can breathe I can fight, so long as one person needs me… I will never give up on them. Even if they have gone a little of the rails," He mumbled the last bit, thinking of Sasuke.

"So even though she doesn't respect you, you won't give up on her?"

"Oh Kaguya?" Naruto laughed weakly. "Well… I guess I kind of feel somewhat responsible for her current predicament. Plus, I don't think she is genuinely a bad person. She's just had a bad day."

Chichi wasn't so sure but chose not to comment. In the morning she would see Agent Smith and would voice her concerns. She was sure that Agent Smith would be understanding.

* * *

 _The Next Morning_

"Rejected," Ms. Smith smiled as she nursed a freshly brewed coffee. She had shown up early with some supplies for the farmhouse as well as some experts to repair the bits that Naruto didn't know how to. He had saved her an impressive amount of labor, which was always a good thing as she was expecting the house to be in a pretty bad state when she arrived. She was currently enjoying a full breakfast as prepared by Naruto whilst sipping a coffee (also freshly brewed by Naruto). Chichi stood before her looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"B-But…" Chichi took a deep breath. "The Interspecies Exchange Bill, Article 1-A Sub-Section 2 clearly states All Handlers must be declared competent before being assigned to the program."

"Aren't you forgetting a little bit at the end?" Smith smiled.

"W-well," Chichi frowned. "It says competency is decided by the Local Cultural Exchange Coordinator."

"And who am I?" Ms. Smith finished her coffee, "Refill please."

"Seriously? When did I become everyone's servant?" Naruto grumbled as he took her cup and refilled it.

"Yesterday when you decided to prevent the world achieving peace and dragged me kicking and screaming into this… world." Kaguya paused in her meal to toss a carrot slice from her salad to a sad looking bunny.

"The Local Cultural Exchange Coordinator." Chichi frowned.

"Listen," Smith paused to take her cup back from Naruto, "I know he might not look like much, sound like much or even smell like much."

"I am spitting in your next coffee." Naruto warned.

"Do not disgrace my name by being such an inferior servant!" Kaguya warned.

"But," Smith continued. "He has potential. That's why I decided to send you to him. It's just a shame there aren't more like him. There are so many girls who need a handler like Naruto-kun here."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Naruto grumbled. "So why are you here?"

"Oh just seeing how things are going."

"And eating the food you had brought for us." Naruto deadpanned.

"Well if someone offers me food it would be rude not to accept." Ms. Smith laughed. "On that note... "She waved the empty cup at him.

"Seriously." Naruto summoned a Kage Bunshin.

"Stop wasting my chakra!"

"Huh…" Ms. Smith blinked as she saw the Kage Bunshin take her cup and fill it up. "Say… Those are solid clones, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded.

"How many… How many can you make?"

"Thousands?" Naruto shrugged.

"Hehehehehehehe…" Ms. Smith started chuckling darkly.

"I have a feeling that you shouldn't have told her that." Kaguya sighed.

' _ **I never thought I would say this but I agree with the bunny. She already knows your weaknesses and now you are telling her your strengths?'**_

' _I'm sure you're over-exaggerating.'_ Naruto glanced at Ms. Smith. _'At least… I really hope you are.'_

* * *

 _Later that Day_

Kuroko Smith was practically dancing as she entered her office. Even the sub-par coffee she had gotten from the office couldn't ruin her mood. As she approached her desk, the usual intimidating pile of representatives in need of a new host stood waiting, but she had a secret weapon now. Flicking through the files, she selected the most dangerous and dropped them all into box and rummaging through her desk, pulled out a black marker and scribbled 'NARUTO' on front of it, before putting the box to one side.

"Well that was a productive day's work." She sighed happily. "I think it's almost dinner time… Maybe I should check in with Naruto to see if Chichi is still being troublesome." She smiled as she left her desk. "And if they happen to be having their dinner and offer me a bit of the meal, well it would be rude to turn it down, now wouldn't it?"

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the first chapter!**

 **I guess I should get this next part out of the way before anyone asks. The girls assigned to Kimihito will not be in Naruto's harem or even assigned to him. They** _ **may**_ **appear later if Naruto ever ends up interacting with Kimihito, but it would likely just be for a brief encounter and interaction. Ms Smith is a definite no as well. Nothing personal, but I just don't like the idea of her as a romantic interest in general. The harem will consist of minor characters (this include MON as a possibility) and OC's based on various subspecies from the end cards shown in each episode of the anime. This not going to change.**

 **I've always had a thing for minor characters and characters with little to no backstory and underdeveloped personalities, especially when it comes to fanfiction. I feel the less an author has to work with, the more creative they have to be to compensate for it, and in turn the story becomes more unique and often better.**

 **Now to address a few of things I know someone's going to ask. First off, "Why is it Naruto's birthday when he arrives?" Because we know it was his 17th birthday the day he fought Kaguya, so if he had ended up in a different dimension and the day was different, his age and birthday wouldn't line up. Second, "Why didn't Kaguya's body get sealed?" It'll be explained later down the road, so just wait. Third, "If Hagoromo able to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi, why did he wait so long to do it?" He couldn't manifest himself in the world of the living until Madara's lower half was cut off and he wanted Naruto and Sasuke to do it to see if they could end the brothers feud. Finally, "What happened to Madara?" Again, it'll be explained down the road, so just wait.**

 **See ya next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo guys and gals, I'm back with the second chapter! Drake and I worked hard on it, so I hope you enjoy it. This chapter will cover Chichi's first day on the farm, starting shortly before Ms Smith showed up for breakfast last chapter and continuing after it. I'm honored that you all seem to like this story so much. Some of you may have noticed the story's new picture. That's a picture of a future OC I designed for this fic and then commissioned an artist on deviantart to draw. You can find more details about both the character, the design inspiration, and the artist on my deviantart, djunk855. She's one of a few OC I designed not based on a subspecies, and she likely won't appear for a good long while, so consider it a preview. I'm also talking to a couple artists about commissioning pictures of some other OC, so I'll let you know in subsequent author's notes if that happens. I'll address some questions I got in reviews at the end of the chapter as well as some expected questions similar to what I did last chapter. Anyway, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

When the sun rose, it was to a peaceful scene. There was a gentle breeze that ruffled Naruto's hair as he watched the sun rising, a tired and disgruntled Chichi stood beside him. As she took in Naruto's calm smile, she couldn't help but feel a little relaxed herself. Even though she was planning to explain to Ms. Smith that she couldn't possibly stay with such an inexperienced handler, she was enjoying this brief moment of quiet.

"You know you don't have to follow me, right?" Naruto chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm not going to run off or anything."

"Article 21-D, sub-section 2- A representative must not stray more than 100 yards (91.4 meters) from their handler without a written letter from the Coordinator expressing that the representative is adjusted enough to cope without a human handler." Chichi stated.

Naruto opened his mouth to argue but then decided against it. If following the rules made her happy, who was he to judge? He settled for leaning on a rotten wooden fence and surveying the fruits of his labor.

The house looked okay from the outside, but only the bare minimum had been done inside. In fact only Kaguya's room was finished (although Kaguya had made it quite clear that it wasn't up to her 'noble' standards). Chichi had been given what was supposed to be his room, which had had the walls and floors repaired, but was still lacking furniture. He had slept in the kitchen, the only other room that kept out the cold. Whilst Chichi hadn't complained, he felt guilty at making her sleep in such a bare room and resolved to finish her room before starting on his own. Even if he wasn't going to be here long (hopefully) he could at least leave it so that Chichi would have a nice place to live in when he returned to Konoha.

"Right then!" Naruto suddenly declared. "Time to get to work!"

"Work?" Chichi asked.

"That's right." Naruto looked at the farm. "This place isn't going to build itself! When I'm finished with it, it'll be a fully working farm… With all sorts of… er… farmy things like… chickens and… er… rice?" He finished weakly. "To get us some food and such, you know?"

"Do you know anything about farming?"

"Not a thing," Naruto proudly declared. "But I have a neat little trick to learn new stuff!"

"Oh?"

"See…" Naruto smirked as he summoned a Kage Bunshin. "Anything these guys learn is transferred to me when they're dispelled."

"I see," Chichi frowned softly. "May I ask something?"

"You don't need to ask me permission to ask me a question," Naruto chuckled. "Just ask me, okay?"

"In accordance with Article 21-E I shall acknowledge your request." Chichi replied, hiding a smile at Naruto's exasperated sigh. "I was wondering… Are you really human?"

"Yup," Naruto nodded proudly.

"But you can do such wondrous things," Chichi frowned. "None of this was explained in the documents I have read about humanity."

"W-well," Naruto saw something over Chichi's shoulder and choked back a laugh. "I guess you could say I'm special. Good morning Kaguya-chan. Did you have a nice sleep?"

"That is Kaguya-sama to you," Kaguya scowled at Naruto, who was wearing a grin so wide it threatened to split his face in half. "Is something amusing to you, servant?"

"No, nothing." Naruto turned to survey the land. "Just thinking about all the work it's going to take to get this place into shape."

"Such a task should be easy to someone who calls themselves my servant."

"I don't call myself that." Naruto deadpanned.

"He is our handler and as per Article 21-D he should be treated with respect." Chichi remarked before her face went strangely blank as she saw Kaguya's face.

"I see you are still here," Kaguya turned to face her. "I could care less about the laws you preach, Vulgar Spider."

"Good morning." Chichi found herself staring over Kaguya's shoulder to avoid looking at her face.

"See, this one gets it." Kaguya smirked. "She understands that a vulgar being such as herself does not have the divine right to gaze upon my face."

"S-sure…" Chichi mumbled. _'Do not laugh… Whatever I do… I cannot laugh… Remember the Exchange Laws...'_

"Well your face is a sight to behold." Naruto nodded.

"...What are you planning?" Kaguya stared at Naruto, distrust apparent in her eyes. "Your words seem true but I feel there is more behind what you say."

"Oh nothing," Naruto whistled innocently. "By the way… you haven't washed your face yet have you?"

"No," Kaguya paused. "I used to have servants to do that for me, but I would rather not have your callused hands caressing my face. My skin is soft and delicate and requires a soft touch." She glanced at Chichi's hands before scowling. "It appears I shall have to bathe myself."

"Well you can wash your face in the lake," Naruto nodded to the body of water.

"A servant does not tell their master what to do," Kaguya declared before heading to the body of water.

"When she sees…" Chichi glanced at Naruto.

"Hehehe," Naruto grinned.

"YOU INSOLENT SERVANT!" Kaguya shrieked as she turned to glare at Naruto, the bunny face paint she was wearing looked ridiculous when combined with her angry glare.

' _ **I was wrong. This**_ **is** _ **funny!'**_ Kurama's bemused voice sounded from the depths of Naruto's mindscape.

"BWAHAHAHA!" Naruto fell over laughing as Kaguya stormed over to him, her eyes radiating killing intent.

"I'm pretty sure almost every rule of the Exchange program has just been violated." Chichi hung her head. _'Whilst it was kind of funny… I will have to report this to Agent Smith. She will see that staying here will only hurt my chances of being a police officer.'_ Chichi glanced at Naruto who was still rolling around laughing as Kaguya tried to wash her face. "Where did you even get that paint?"

"Oh I found it in one of the barns," Naruto remarked as he staggered to his feet. "There was loads of junk in boxes and when my clones found the face paint we knew what we had to do. Ouch!" He frowned as he saw a little bunny bite him on the shin. "Geeze, what's the big… idea…" Naruto noticed a group of at least twenty rabbits staring at him. "Fine I'll help her get it off. " He was cut off by a strange ringing noise.

"The phone," Chichi frowned as Naruto pulled out the device. "You need to flip it open and it should auto answer."

"Oh," Naruto flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Hi there," Ms. Smith sounded tired. "I forgot to go over some details, so I'll be at the property in half an hour. Tell me, have you had breakfast and your morning coffee yet?"

"We don't have anything here to serve, breakfast or coffee."

"Well fine, I'll use your allowance to buy you some food. I'll even bring over some workers to make sure your house has everything you need for your new resident! You've met Chichi, correct?"

"Yeah," Naruto glanced at Chichi.

"For a second I was worried that you hadn't gotten my text!" Ms. Smith chuckled.

"Er… Yeah I got that," Naruto laughed weakly. "Thanks for that."

"Well if you _really_ want to thank me you can make me a meal." Ms. Smith hung up.

' _ **I get the feeling this isn't going to be the last time she tries to mooch a meal off of you.'**_

' _Quit being such a cynic. She's helping us out by fixing up the bits of the house I can't and providing us with food. Besides it's not as if I'm planning to stay here is it? As soon as I find a way back home we'll be leaving."_

' _ **And Kaguya?'**_

' _To take her back would be reckless. She's powerless right now and quite a lot of people would want her dead if not captured and experimented on."_

' _ **Wait a minute, you're calling something reckless? You are the most reckless person I know!'**_

' _I'm not reckless!'_

' _ **You dive into danger headfirst. That isn't exactly sensible.'**_ Kurama chuckled.

' _W-well,'_ Naruto scowled as he struggled to think of a comeback. _'It's not recklessness if you know you can survive it.'_ He finished weakly.

' _ **That is the kind of argument only a suicidally reckless person would say. Either that or someone who was already dead.'**_ Kurama remarked dryly as Naruto made his way to the house, the rest of the journey spend in silence.

* * *

"It's not recklessness if you know it won't kill you." A patchwork women proudly declared as she poked some stitches across her exposed belly. She wore the standard armor of MON squad, although her top was open, showing a variety of wounds that had been stitched and bandaged. Some of the bandages were tainted with a strange looking liquid that didn't smell like blood. This was Zombina the Zombie, Mon Squad's weapons expert.

There was a group sigh of exasperation in the MON squad barracks as two of her teammates just shook their heads.

"But Bina-chan," Manako, the squad's sniper Monoeye frowned at her zombie teammate. "You don't heal naturally."

"It was only a bokken," Zombina grinned.

"It was thrust through you like a spear." Doppel, the squads infiltration expert remarked as she sat, using her hair as a chair. "Clearly the target was a lot stronger than we were expecting."

"Bullet holes are easy to seal but this wound was much more difficult. You were lucky that the wound could have been closed at all." Manako tried to explain her concern to the grinning zombie.

"You're right." Zombina's sharp teeth gave her an almost feral look, "She was a strong opponent!"

"You are focusing on the wrong thing," Manako mumbled under her breath.

"Meh," Zombina waved her concern off. "Hey where's Tio?"

"Ms. Smith requested her for a mission, prisoner transport most likely." Doppel shrugged indifferently.

"I see," Zombina frowned. "Once again I get left out of the exciting stuff? What if that criminal tries to escape, huh? Tio gets to have the best parts! I didn't even get called when there was the incident with the boss."

"Ah," Manako nodded softly. "With the human and the strange Liminal."

"From what I heard the Liminal had weird glowing hands!"

"That was apparently the human," Doppel remarked.

"How do you know?"

"I was there," Doppel shrugged.

"Gah?! Did everyone except me get a piece of the action?"

"There really wasn't much action after the human pulled himself out of a truck and started to glow yellow and pick people up with the weird glowing hands he created." Doppel shifted until she was a perfect replica of Naruto, golden chakra form and all.

"Say what?" Zombina frowned. "I could never do that when I was alive. That sounds pretty awesome! Were they used for any attacks?" She leaned forward to look at Doppel.

"Not really," Doppel returned to her usual form. "He just sort of held everyone up then surrendered without a fight."

"Oh?" Zombina seemed a little disappointed. "Well I guess I didn't miss that much… Unless you're lying to me?"

"Why would I do that?"

"To make me feel better… Oh there was a full on gunfight, wasn't there?!" Zombina groaned. "I'll bet Manako was firing bullets everywhere… Tio probably threw a car at someone,.."

"I can assure you that didn't happen," Doppel shook her head. "Besides I would have thought you would have had enough excitement fighting that exchange student that ran you through."

"But she didn't throw a car at anyone." Zombina pointed out.

"No one threw any cars," Doppel shook her head.

"I'll bet he was a deranged psycho…" Zombina's mismatched eyes sparkled. "It must have looked like some sort of horror movie when you saw all that death and destruction."

"You could always just read the report."

"I… I think he is strange." Manako frowned. "But not a bad person."

"Oh?" Zombina blinked.

"He could see me when I was in a sniping position. He looked at me straight in the eye and even pointed at me. No human should be able to see that well." "

"Really?" Zombina didn't sound convinced.

"Well there have been some interesting developments." Doppel smirked. "Have you not read the report?"

"Why would I?" Zombina mumbled. "It's bad enough knowing I got left out of the action without hearing all about it as well. I'll bet the car crashes were epic! Argh! And I was stuck on some stupid escort duty!"

"It was quite a pile up but fortunately there were no fatalities." Manako nodded. "That's probably the only reason that she was able to take the human and Liminal into custody without too much fuss."

"Argh stop mentioning it!" Zombina groaned.

"But it was you who asked about it," Doppel shook her head. "It's interesting what you can find out if you can get ahold of Smith-san's mission reports."

"How'd you get a hold of them?" Zombina asked.

"Well," Doppel changed her appearance until she looked and sounded like Ms. Smith. "Humans are quite easy to fool." She returned to her usual appearance. "But it looks like the human isn't actually classified as one."

"And that means?" Zombina asked.

"Who know's?" Doppel smiled. "All I know is that his race was entered as 'Other.'"

"If he wasn't entered as a human or Liminal… what does that make him? Is he a handler or an exchange student?" Zombina frowned. "And if he causes trouble can I shoot him?"

"Who knows?" Doppel smirked. "I'm sure that Smith-san has a plan."

* * *

 _Back at Naruto's House_

Naruto and Kaguya glanced at each other uneasily before returning their attention their house guest. Chichi had quietly asked to be excused and had retreated to her still empty room, having not taken Ms. Smith's judgement well. If the coordinator was aware of Chichi's bad mood, she showed no signs of concern.

"Not bad," She nodded approvingly.

"Well thanks," Naruto chuckled. "I'm not much a cook."

"The best kind of meal is a free one." Ms. Smith took another sip of coffee.

"I have a feeling we just got a dangerous insight into your personality," Kaguya frowned. "May I ask why you are here?"

"Why? It's my job." She smiled. "I had to get people here to make this place livable, although I did underestimate the damage. Fortunately Naruto-kun here did a lot of the hard work that allowed the specialists to do their jobs easier."

"What exactly is your job anyway?" Naruto asked as he summoned some clones to clean up the mess.

"I am the Cultural Exchange Coordinator," Smith gestured at Naruto, "In a nutshell, my job is to keep an eye on the handlers and any exchange students they may be housing to ensure that everything is going smoothly."

"But didn't you just disregard that Vulgar Spider's objections a few minutes ago?" Kaguya frowned.

"Well I could have tried to find her a new handler," Smith sighed. "But it's far easier to just leave her here. Besides she isn't in any danger here."

"So basically you don't want to do your job," Naruto deadpanned.

"She'll learn to get along with you, I'm sure. After all isn't that part of her dream job?"

"Dream job?" Naruto blinked.

"Oh she hasn't told you?" Ms. Smith raised an eyebrow. "Well, it isn't for me to say." She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her outfit. "As much as I would love to eat free food all day, I have a lot of work to do today."

"Doing what exactly?" Kaguya asked.

"Well for your information, I am not _only_ your local coordinator but the liaison for the MON squad, MON being short for Monster Ops: Neutralization," She added seeing the blank look on Kaguya and Naruto's faces. "Due to the rules of the Exchange Bill, humans and Liminals can't harm another without breaking the law. There are those who would violate this law and whilst the police can arrest humans, they cannot touch Liminals. Hence the Monster Ops is a team of Liminals who are able to do what the police can't."

"Oh so you are kind of like a Chuunin or maybe even a Jounin? A team leader kind of thing."

"Yes," Smith nodded. "In fact you have already met some of my team."

"Oh, that armored giant!" Naruto grinned looking at Kaguya.

"That uncultured oaf dared to manhandle me!" The rabbit goddess angrily bit into a carrot with an audible crunch. "I'll bet he is some uncouth barbarian who doesn't understand the first thing about being a lady!"

' _You'd be surprised.'_ Smith thought to herself.

"I'm guessing that one eyed girl was one as well?" Naruto chuckled at Kaguya's antics before returning his attention to Smith.

"Indeed. She was a Monoeye," Smith looked thoughtful. "I suppose i should make sure you are familiar with the different species… I'll send some books later," She finished dismissively.

"I'm starting to think Chichi should be more worried about _you_ not being fit for your job than me as a handler." Naruto shook his head.

"I'll have you know I am extremely busy with many important things." Smith shook her head.

"Those 'things' are probably finding other ways to avoid doing your job," Naruto grumbled.

"Says you," one of the Kage Bunshin cleaning the kitchen retorted.

"Those clones, they are copies of you correct?" Kaguya glanced at the muttering clone.

"Yeah?"

"Then if your clones don't like you, what does that say about you?" Kaguya smirked.

"I'm leaving before I see something that might make me have to perform a suitability test," Ms Smith grabbed one another slice of toast and took a bite. "And then I would have so much more work to do if you failed it and at this short notice too…" She left, but not before draining her coffee and grabbing the last slice of toast.

"Apparently she too is lacking manners," Kaguya snorted. "Sunglasses must be almost as common as you, servant."

"You're still sore about the face paint aren't you?" Naruto dodged a bunny missile. "And so are your minions apparently."

"To touch the face of a noble…" Kaguya huffed, "One should know their place. You are fortunate that I don't have my powers. Such a crime would deserve the harshest punishment."

"While you try and think of one, I'm going to check on Chichi." Naruto glanced at Kaguya who continued eating her salad slowly.

"Such vulgarity." She scoffed.

"It's her name," Naruto called out. "It's not like I'm going around calling her tits or anything."

"S-such language!" Kaguya looked away from Naruto. "Do you not know how to speak in the presence of a lady?"

"Er…" Naruto frowned, "Come to think of it Sakura-chan did always hit me… I guess I don't know."

"Well," Kaguya smirked. "You are fortunate you have such a forgiving and generous master, who shall teach you the error of your ways."

"I'm going to check on Chichi," Naruto left. "If you really want to, anything my clones learn is transferred to me."

"I see," Kaguya turned to the clone. "I wonder if etiquette can truly be hammered into that tiny brain of yours. I believe a short two hour lecture should be a good start."

"You traitor!" The clone yelled after the fleeing Naruto.

"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," Naruto bowed his head as he headed towards Chichi's room.

' _ **You'll want to be careful. Kaguya may be the only way home.'**_ Kurama warned Naruto. _'_ _ **Try not to upset her too much.'**_

' _I know.'_ Naruto sighed. _'If she never regains her chakra… I might have to rely on her to teach me how she opens portals. That means putting up with her for a bit longer. Who knows? Maybe she'll lighten up. In her defense though, she was my enemy less that 24 hrs ago.'_

' _ **In her defense? She was trying to end the world near enough! How can you defend her? ...Oh who am I kidding? This is you we're talking about. Everyone who you beat up seems to become a good person. Although somehow I don't see it happening anytime soon with her.'**_

' _She's just scared.'_ Naruto paused outside Chichi's door. _'Come to think of it. Maybe that's the case with Chichi too… She_ has _be sent away from her family to live with a complete stranger.'_

' _ **Heh,'**_ Kurama shook his head. _**'I'm sure you'll make her feel right at home. You're that kind of person.'**_

' _Ah, thanks.'_ Naruto chuckled before knocking on the door. "Chichi?"

"Enter."

"Er…" Naruto pushed open the room. "Wow those people Ms. Smith got in really did a number on this place." Her room had all the furnishings that you would expect of a hotel room including a decent sized TV on one of the walls. He'd never seen one that was flat like that one, though. The only thing that stood out was there was a hammock instead of bed, on which Chichi was currently laying.

The only signs of personalization were a set of official looking books neatly stacked on a desk and several outfits hanging in the closet, each one neatly hung and ironed.

"I apologize for leaving but I was… emotionally distraught by Agent Smith's decision. I thought that you would be a hindrance to my future career prospects."

"What do you want to do?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the desk. "These are all books on laws and procedures."

"... I want to be a police officer." Chichi smiled softly.

"Police officer?" Naruto frowned slightly. _'Is that like the Uchiha Police of this area or something?'_

"Indeed." Chichi nodded.

"So that means you'd need to deal with all sorts of unruly sorts right?"

"That is…" Chichi's eyes widened. "Oh, I get it now. Agent Smith must have put me here because an officer must be calm and collected at all times. Sometimes we have to deal with members of the public who could be infuriating and unreasonable, so in a way this too is preparing me for my job."

"Infuriating and unreasonable?" Naruto's shoulders slumped.

"Ah! I apologize." Chichi skillfully climbed out of the hammock, "Article 21-D, Subsection 1 states that human handlers must be treated with respect. I cannot apologize enough for my behavior."

"No, that's alright." Naruto chuckled. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to be a police officer?"

"Article…"

"I don't want you to answer me because the law demands it." Naruto interrupted her. "I only want you to tell me if you want to tell me."

"Very well," Chichi bowed her head. "I am from a small village not too far away. When the treaty was signed two years ago, not all humans took it well. Some Liminals are less… acceptable to humanity. Whilst those who have milder traits like those of cats and dogs are more widely accepted, those with less appealing traits are usually shunned and feared, like we are monsters."

"Shunned and feared," Naruto frowned softly, recalling his own past, remembering the cold looks, the hurtful words. "That's never pleasant."

"Indeed," Chichi nodded. "I remember there were some humans who were aggressive to us. They formed a sort of Anti-Liminal group. Usually it was just threats and graffiti but one day…" She scowled. "They set fire to one of my neighbors houses at night when they were sleeping."

"Did they get out alright?" Naruto asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yes… Thanks to one person, a human." She smiled softly. "Whilst all the other humans were stood back watching, not sure what to do, he raced forwards without any fear and went straight into the burning building to help them escape. When he came out I asked him, why did he not fear us? Why would he risk his life for us? His answer…." Chichi looked at Naruto, "Because I am a police officer and we help people, regardless of who they are. Human and Liminal alike were calling him a hero and that's when I realized something. If I became a police officer, I could show humans that were are not to be feared and at the same time inspire other Liminals to pursue their own dreams. With my hunting instincts I believe I would make a good police officer and I was physically fit so…" She gestured to the books. "I got in touch with the Exchange Program and Agent Smith provided me with the books and promised she would find me a suitable handler, even after my application was initially blocked."

"I see," Naruto nodded. "Did they catch the people who lit the fire?"

"No," Chichi shook her head. "But I think when they saw that police officer, they must have felt shame."

"Huh?"

"Their actions were based on fear and ignorance. That's yet another reason why I have to be a police officer. So long as our people are considered mysterious and strange, fear will be prevalent throughout the communities that we live in. That's why I have to prove them wrong, to show them I am not some monster. I am me."

"..." Naruto stared into the distance. "And one day I will be Hokage…"

"Pardon?" Chichi glanced at him.

"Hehehe," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "You might not believe it but we're kind of similar. We both know the stigma of being hated for something you have no control over. Alright!" Naruto nodded. "I've decided!"

"Decided what?"

"I'm going to help you." Naruto pointed at Chichi. "When I'm finished you'll be the best damn police officer ever!"

"How?"

"Er…" Naruto deflated. "Well… I haven't thought that far ahead... " He admitted. "I mean I might not be the best at books and stuff but when it comes to practical work, I'm pretty good. ...I've got it! I'll make training course that only I can make for you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "You said your request was originally declined right? Because of that law saying you can't be a risk to the public."

"Correct. Article 1-A Principal Law 3."

"Well then," Naruto smirked. "I can simulate a public environment with my clones. One will be your target and the others will just be normal civilians."

"But how will I know which is which?"

"I'll have my clones change their appearances so they all look different and give you the details of the criminal. You have to find and catch him."

"I already told you that I am a talented hunter." Chichi frowned.

"Well then why don't we make it fun?" Naruto smiled, "Since you're so sure of yourself, why don't we make a bet of it? If you're able to complete whatever the goal of the training exercise is, then I'll assist you the only other way I can, by helping you find a handler who is able to help you. However if you're unable to complete the goal, that means there is something I can teach you and you have to promise to stop being so uptight with the rules."

"Deal." Chichi nodded. "I look forward on seeing your letter to request my transfer."

"Hehe," Naruto grinned. "I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet. You're going to be seeing this face for a while."

"Possibly," Chichi bowed her head. "If you don't mind I would like to stretch out before the exercise as outlined in the Police Academy training guidelines."

"You love your rules," Naruto chuckled as he left her to her stretches.

' _ **I totally didn't see that coming.'**_ Kurama's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.

' _What?'_

' _ **Another bleeding heart story. Admittedly you could throw it but let's be honest, the moment you realized the parallels between you there was no way you could give up on helping her achieve her dream is there?'**_

' _Am I that predictable?'_

' _ **Heh, you might be the most unpredictable ninja, but you're the most predictable hero in history.'**_

' _I'll take it. Hero is a better title than demon.'_ Naruto shook his head softly and made his way out of the house past the kitchen.

"Now this is a dessert spoon." Kaguya was still lecturing the clone.

"...It looks like every other damn spoon!" The clone wailed.

"...I think I'll take a different exit," Naruto made a u-turn.

* * *

 _Some time later_

"And this is a steak knife." Kaguya placed the sharp blade on the table. "And this is a carving knife."

"Does it really matter?" The clone protested.

"Does it really matter?" Kaguya looked incredulous. "It is quite apparent if not for me you would probably descend into barbarism. You should be honored that a noble such as myself is spending her precious time instructing you on these things. One is only as noble as one acts."

"Uh huh…" The clone looked for a distraction, "Oh look it's Chichi."

"Are you here to be enlightened?" Kaguya turned to face the spider woman, who was wearing a jogging shirt that fell below her waist, acting as both a shirt and a skirt. "What is with that strange outfit?"

' _Chance!'_ The clone quickly grabbed the steak knife and stabbed itself, his final thoughts before bursting being a prayer that Naruto got the memory of the pain as revenge for forcing him to sit through Kaguya's lecture.

"I am training with Handler-san," Chichi remarked simply. "If I beat his challenge then he has agreed to help me find a new handler."

"Then you are probably going to stay here for a while," Kaguya scoffed. "Considering that back when I was technically a goddess I failed to kill him, I doubt you would have much more luck."

"Attempting to kill our handler would be in violation of…"

"Yes, yes," Kaguya sighed. "The rules that govern you commoners do not apply to those with noble blood." She turned to find the clone had dispelled. "It appears that my servant is completely useless. He didn't even give the clone enough of my chakra to last through the lecture. Still, I suppose I should be grateful that he at least expended the chakra in a worthy cause." She turned to talk to Chichi, only to find she had left as well. "That is fine. I had no desire to converse with that Vulgar Spider anyway." She turned to the lone rabbit that was sitting on the kitchen table, nibbling the leftovers from her breakfast salad. "People of my station, we are destined to stand alone, misunderstood by those we watch over."

The rabbit's nose twitched, which Kaguya took as a cue to talk.

"Your life must be quite easy," She stroked the creature's head. "Unburdened by duty and the pressures of nobility. Even before I was a goddess, there were so many who expected so much of me. I was a symbol of hope, of a potential everlasting peace. Now look at me," Her shoulders slumped. "I am a failure. I failed to save the world." She sat down and laid her head on the table. "What a pitiful creature I have become…" She glanced at the empty sleeve of her kimono, "A pitiful and incomplete creature."

The rabbit nudged her head.

"What is my purpose?" She wondered aloud. "When I was a goddess it was so clear. I was saving the humans from themselves. I was trying to bring about a true peace, an everlasting peace… But now I find myself helpless and no doubt my home is burning with the fires of war. Without me the world will have descended into complete anarchy… And it is all his fault." Kaguya lifted her head to glare in the direction of the fields where she assumed Naruto was. "If he had just accepted my peace, if he had not tried to stop me." She clenched her one fist. "I cannot forgive him for that. He doomed our world… But at the same time, I understand him a little better. It was not his intent to cause harm, but much like a child, he knows not what he does. He acts without thinking."

The rabbit returned to the salad, crunching noisily on a particularly crispy piece of lettuce.

"I suppose as a noble it is my duty to overlook the commoner's faults and guide them to better themselves." She sighed as if realizing the depth of the task she had set herself. "Still one should not complain. Despite being thrown into a new world he has proven to be surprisingly adaptive. Maybe there is hope for that one." She reached up and stroke the horn that he had regenerated for her. "He means well…" She smiled fondly. "Yes. I do not believe he is beyond redemption."

The rabbit hopped off of the table.

"The sad thing is," She shook her head. "You probably understood that a lot better than my clueless servant." She shook his head. "I shiver to think of what inane training he has cooked up. No doubt wasting more of my chakra."

* * *

 _With Naruto_

"Still so sure you're going to win?" Naruto glanced at Chichi who was stood frozen with shock.

"When you said you could make thousands, I thought you were bragging." Chichi glanced at Naruto. "There must be at least three thousand!"

"I don't know, never really tried to count." Naruto shrugged.

Chichi returned her gaze to the forest where Naruto had been waiting for her.

"I wanted to try and use an earth jutsu to make large building shaped obstacles, but earth isn't really my element," He looked slightly disheartened. "I mean I can kind of use it but I don't really know any actual earth jutsu."

"Jutsu?"

"Techniques, like the Kage Bunshin."

"May I ask you a question?"

"...I am definitely human."

"May I ask a different question?"

"Oh sure."

"Are you _sure_ you are human?"

"Yes," Naruto chuckled.

"So…" Chichi's look of shock was slowly fading. "What is the task?"

"One of the clones will be a criminal and it is your duty to find him! He, or possibly she, will be holding these bells and milling around in that forest with the other clones trying to escape Your task is to find him and safely capture him. Once he is captured you are to bring him back to me with the bells. Simple, right?" He jingled a pair of bells. _'When I found these in that barn with the paint I knew I had to use them! I feel like Kakashi-sensei right now.'_

"Sure," Chichi nodded. "Even with such a large number of people I am sure that I can keep track of one clone."

"But be warned. If he manages to reach a secret hideout that I have built in the forest, then you lose unless you actually track him to his hideout, then you can still win if you pursue him inside before he returns to me with the bells," Naruto smirked. "But that has its own set of risks as... " He was interrupted by one of his clones snatching the bells from his hand and running. "Officer! I've been robbed."

"Try and catch me if you can!" The clone, who was disguised as Yahiko, made a vulgar gesture before turning around and running, stuffing the bells into a pocket.

"W-what?" Chichi was caught flat footed but quickly leapt into action, pursuing the clone with agility that impressed Naruto. Whilst a normal human would find themselves quickly in trouble, her quarry was no normal human. This was a ninja and as agile as she was, she couldn't quite catch him before he reached the mass of clones.

"Excuse me," She tried to edge her way through the clones.

"Hey watch it will you?" One of clones snapped. "I'm standing here."

"I'm sorry sir but…" Chichi tried to move.

"Ah, Onee-sama! Your legs are strange. Can I touch them?" A clone disguised as a young girl walked up to her.

"I'm sorry but I am in pursuit of a criminal," Her eyes desperately scanned for her prey until she caught bright orange hair, _'Got you!'_ She smirked as she leapt towards him before blinking as an unfamiliar face looking back at her. _'No piercings? This… This is the wrong clone!'_

"Can I help you officer?" The clone disguised as Juugo smiled politely.

"No thank you," She looked around annoyed. _'Where has he gone?!'_ She leapt into a tree and scanned the area.

"Unlucky~" Naruto's voice echoed through the trees and the clones all turned back into Naruto.

"I lost?" Chichi sighed as she returned to Naruto, where the Yahiko clone was twirling the bells around his finger.

"Well?" Naruto smiled at her. "Did you think it would be easy and that's why you didn't use your webs?"

"I can't." Chichi looked at him. "Long Leg-type Arachne don't spin webs."

"Oh, I didn't know that." Naruto chuckled. "I just assumed that you could. Sorry that was insensitive of me."

"It is not your fault. If anything the fact that you were assigned as my handler without the relevant information is Agent Smith's fault."

"Are you criticizing a coordinator? Isn't that against the rules?" Naruto gasped in fake shock.

"I am allowed to make criticisms where necessary," Chichi mumbled, although was apparently not too proud of her remarks.

"Well I guess that means you lose," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Let's head back. There is a saying that 'rabbit's die of loneliness' and if Kaguya dies then… I am in a whole heap of trouble."

"Again." Chichi spoke softly

"Pardon?" Naruto paused.

"Again." Chichi repeated louder, a look of determination in her eyes.

"Okay," Naruto nodded and glanced at the clone. "...We'll try something a little different this time to keep things interesting. This time the clone will be an aggressive criminal holding several clones hostage! You have to take down the criminal with non-lethal force whilst ensuring none of the other clones die." He nodded to the Yahiko clone who raced off into the forest.

"Right," Chichi nodded, eager to complete this exercise.

' _ **Huh, she seems really fired up. I wonder if that's because of the bet.'**_

' _Or maybe I'm an awesome teacher who inspires his students?'_

'… _**So it's the bet then?'**_

Ignoring the smart-ass fox in his head, her turned to Chichi. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Sir!" The Yahiko clone returned and gaze a sloppy salute. "We have an update on the situation! The target has six civilians held hostage in the forest. The target has black hair and a smile that doesn't look quite right. He's located half a kilometer inside the forest and appears to be armed."

"Understood," He glanced at Chichi, "Are you ready officer?"

"Yes sir!" Chichi saluted before heading into the forest. This was her element, stalking an unaware target in order to deliver the killing blow. She paused in that line of thought, reminding herself that she had to try and take the target alive if possible. But she couldn't fail, her future career was counting on her being able to succeed.

* * *

 _Back at the House_

Kaguya glanced at a clock as she sat in the kitchen, her fingers tapping the surface of the table as she waited for Naruto to show up.

"How long can it take to train a Vulgar Spider to…" She paused. "I don't even know what they are doing, but it shouldn't take this long." She stood up angrily. "Who knows what that idiot servant of mine is doing? He probably got sidetracked by a wounded animal and is now racing to deliver it to some sort of animal healer." She chuckled at the thought of Naruto carrying a bleeding fox. "I wonder why I instantly thought of a fox?"

Her attention was drawn to the floor as a couple of rabbits started to nudge her.

"You are correct," Kaguya nodded. "No doubt he is lost in a ditch and requires my aide. He should be grateful to have such a gracious master." She started towards the door, a small trail of rabbits behind her. "This is not an unpleasant place to live." Kaguya remarked as she took in the fields. "My servant has been quite busy. Maybe in a year or so it would be a place worthy of the presence of one such as myself." She nodded. "Funny, as a princess I used to have a hundred servants at my beck and call. All trained to the highest standards and aware of their duties. Now I have one who wouldn't know good manners if they hit him in the face." She scowled, although there was a hint of mirth in her features.

She continued towards where the most noise was, assuming correctly this would be where Naruto was. What she saw almost made her pop a blood vessel.

"So… So much wasted chakra," She blinked as what must have been around a thousand clones headed her way.

"Oh it's the Bunny Princess," One of the clones waved at her. "Hey Kaguya-chan."

"That's Kaguya-sama to you."

"Yeah, yeah," The clones waved off her remarks. "What are you doing?"

"I am going to speak to the real you."

"Oh he's in the forest with Chichi." One of the clones pointed off into the forest.

"Don't say such vulgar words in the presence of nobility."

"What would would that be? Chichi? Because if it is Chichi then we can stop saying Chichi. Isn't that right?" One clone turned to face another clone.

"That's right. We'll stop saying Chichi if Kaguya-chan wants us to stop saying Chichi."

"..." Kaguya rubbed her forehead tiredly. "What I wouldn't do for my chakra right about now…"

"Hehehe," The clones laughed. "Well, we can't all just hang around chatting. Boss says he wants us to work on some of the other rooms. He wants a training room in there!"

"So he has decided to stop just dismissing you?"

"Well he said if he did you would just complain about it and we should try not to upset you too much."

"Huh," Kaguya preened herself, "I see his starting to respect my noble self."

"Not really, he just doesn't want to make you 'hopping' mad."

"..." Kaguya glare said more than words ever could.

"We'll… we'll be off then," The clones coughed awkwardly, unwilling to spend any more time being glared at by the angry ex-goddess.

"You do that." Kaguya watched them flee before heading towards where the clones had indicated Naruto to be.

* * *

 _With Chichi_

As Chichi approached the area the clone had mentioned, she tried to keep a low profile. She saw someone who matched the target but they appeared to be bound up. After a few moments she realized that the clone, disguised as Sasuke, despite not looking like he knew smile properly and dressed like he was from a strip club or something, was actually a hostage. The actual target was the one wearing a smile that looked so fake it was painful to look at.

Chichi advanced on the position as the clone disguised as Sai walked amongst the hostages, twirling a kunai in his hand. Whilst Chichi was confident she could take down the clone, doing it without killing it would be much more difficult and that was without taking into account that she had to try and make sure the six civilians survived. Her mind raced as she tried to recall the rules for such a situation.

"Tch," The Sai clone walked over to one of the clones disguised as a child, Hanabi Hyuuga to be exact, and picked it up by the scruff of her throat. "I'm fed up of waiting for my ransom. Maybe sending a small piece of you back will convince them to hurry up?"

"P-please no!" The Hanabi clone squirmed.

' _Not good!'_ Chichi quickly charged the target, expertly maneuvering through the undergrowth until she got within leaping distance, her agile movement meaning that the Sai clone was completely unaware of the rapidly approaching Liminal until it was too late and the full mass of the Liminal came down on him like an angel of vengeance. Unfortunately this meant that the fragile clone dispelled, taking the Hanabi clone with it.

"For what it's worth," Naruto called from a tree. "A real human isn't quite that fragile." He jumped down next to her. "For example, I survived being hit by what Ms. Smith called a truck."

' _ **Judging from the public reaction to that, I don't think most humans can survive that. Hell if not for me, you might not have survived that!'**_

' _Details,'_ Naruto thought back flippantly.

"A loss is a loss. Those are the rules of the challenge." Chichi sighed. "One more time."

"Again?"

"Again."

"Heh," Naruto nodded. "Let's see… What can this third test be? ...How about you try and catch me?"

"You?" Chichi tilted her head.

"That's right," Naruto nodded. "Unlike my clones I won't break so easily. This way you can learn to capture a strong human before working your way towards more fragile targets! To make things fair I'll only use my chakra to cling to surfaces. I'll head into the forest and wait for one hour. After which I'll make my way back here. If I get back here then I win and if you capture me, you win."

"You've seen the damage I caused to the clones. It would be in direct violation to Article 1-A Principal Law 5- It is a criminal offence for any humans to willingly and knowingly inflict harm upon a representative or put them in a scenario that would lead to injury without written and un-coerced confirmation from both the representative and the handler. This also applies to any harm inflicted upon the handler by a Liminal."

"So basically we both just need to give our approval right?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Well yes, but you fail to realize the potential harm that you could suffer." Chichi frowned.

"Can you summon a god that can send me through dimensions and turn me to ash if you land an attack on me?"

"No."

"Then I'll be fine. I survived that after all." He grinned widely. "Just ask Kaguya how hard I am to kill."

"...Where are you from?" Chichi struggled to wrap her head around what he said.

"Let's just say I'm not from around here." Naruto chuckled. "So you still want to try and catch me, or are you too scared now?"

"When I decided to become a police officer I swore I would give it my all." Chichi shook her head. "Giving up is not an option!"

"Hehehe," Naruto nodded. "That's the spirit! You ready?"

"On the count of three?" Chichi stretched out her many legs.

"One…" Naruto crouched.

"Two… Hey what are you doing?!" Chichi blinked.

"Being a ninja!" Naruto laughed as he set off running early.

"I… You cheater!" Chichi took off after the grinning ninja.

"Oh and criminals always play by the rules?"

"You... " Chichi narrowed her eyes as the two sped into the undergrowth.

' _ **So why are you doing this again?'**_

' _I don't know. It seemed like a good idea?'_

' _ **Still, she seems pretty agile. Duck!'**_

"What?" Naruto rolled as Chichi leapt over him. "Damn! She can jump! Well she isn't the only one."

' _ **Remember! No chakra besides to cling to surfaces. Was that Kaguya?'**_

' _What?'_ Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see the irate goddess and her small army of rabbits traversing the undergrowth.

' _ **Branch!'**_

' _Oh right.'_ Naruto grinned as he ducked under the obstacle, landing flat against another tree and racing towards the canopy, Chichi quickly scurrying up the neighboring tree matching pace with him. "You know, I wasn't expecting you to be this fast!"

"Once I have my prey in my sights, it won't escape."

"What about those clones that you failed to capture?"

"I… I underestimated you." Chichi kicked off the tree towards Naruto who leapt off and grabbed ahold of another branch, watching as Chichi tore through the tree where he would have been stood.

"Maybe I limited myself too much," Naruto frowned. "Hey… Chichi?" He tried to spot the spider woman.

' _ **I get the feeling she decided against a direct assault and is now waiting to ambush you.'**_

' _Ambush a ninja? Ha!'_ Naruto smirked as he dropped to the forest floor. "Good luck with that." He looked around, searching for the tell tale sign of movement amongst the bushes. "Huh, she's good."

He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest. Wherever Chichi had gone, she was being awfully quiet. _'At least I don't have to worry about her setting some sort of trap with webs.'_ He opened his eyes.

' _ **So… Any plans?'**_

' _Well technically I can just sit around waiting then head back to the original meeting point to win. I'm guessing she will be hoping to ambush me on the way back and is using this time to set up some traps for me.'_ Naruto looked around before sitting down.

' _ **And you're going to let her, aren't you?'**_

' _Of course.'_ Naruto grinned as he sat down, enjoying the calm of the forest. He pulled a kunai from his pocket and checked the reflection to make sure she wasn't behind him before picking up a branch and cutting at it. _'Has an hour passed yet?'_ He thought jokingly.

' _ **Yes.'**_ Kurama responded sarcastically.

' _Wait, really?'_

' _ **No, not even close.'**_

' _Ah…'_ Naruto got into a meditative pose. _'Might as well kill some time then.'_ He sat down, allowing the natural energies to flow through him. _'I see that this world still has natural energy, even if no one else seems to have chakra.'_ He smiled slightly as he felt the strange energy of the world, familiar yet completely foreign at the same time. He could sense so many life forms around him. "This is really a busy little forest isn't it." He murmured as he extended his senses. Time seemed to flow by quickly until his trance was broken by Kurama.

' _ **Your hour's up. If you want to keep meditating don't let me stop you but remember there's no toad with a staff to beat you here, though.'**_

' _His name is… wait a minute. You're a genius!'_

' _ **I know I am… But just in case I had forgotten why am I a genius?'**_

' _The toads!'_ Naruto stood up dispelling the natural energy he had gathered. _'They can reverse summon me back home!'_

' _ **Maybe.'**_ Kurama was skeptical. _**'But the chakra required to summon one here must be astronomical. I doubt we could do it.'**_

' _Well, we can at least try!'_ Naruto grinned.

' _ **Now?'**_

' _I suppose it can wait until we finish this test,'_ Naruto glanced into the forest. _'You think she's finished yet?'_

' _ **I suspect yes.'**_

' _What do you…'_ Naruto instinctively rolled forward and started to run as the sound of Chichi tearing through the undergrowth sounded directly behind him. _'Being a little noisy isn't she?'_ He started towards the tree line but Chichi cut him off, forcing him to change directions and leap into the trees, Chichi following behind him.

Every time he tried to change direction, she quickly leapt in the way of his attempt to escape, forcing him to follow the route she wanted.

' _Just what is she planning? She only had an hour to prepare.'_ Naruto frowned as he easily kept his distance from her. _'She isn't even trying to chase me down now… What is she planning?'_ He ran across the forest floor, tracking her movements out of the corner of his eyes.

' _Just a little longer…'_ Chichi smiled as she saw Naruto heading towards her trap. _'No matter which direction I attack from, you can just jump out of the way. In order to capture you I have to leap when you're in mid jump and unable to alter your course.'_

' _Do you think she plans to lose?'_ Naruto wondered.

' _ **No… She has a similar look in her eyes to you. She won't give up.'**_

' _Heh, I knew there was something about her that was familiar.'_ Naruto smirked as he approached some bramble bushes that marked the edge of the forest, _'Almost home free.'_

' _Here we go.'_ Chichi prepared herself.

"And away we… crap!" Naruto cried out in alarm as he leaped over the bushes, twisting his body to narrowly miss several bee hives in the tree. "Phew, that was close," He chuckled before stepping forward and feeling something catch on his leg. As he tugged his leg free he saw the familiar glint of a trip wire and the bee hives briefly shook, followed by the sound of angrily buzzing bees starting to leave the hives. "Not today!" Naruto leapt backwards from the hives and their guardians.

' _Here's my chance!'_ Chichi dived at the airborne Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened. "Clever girl," He regretted his handicap, without his other abilities he was a sitting duck, so he did the best he could and braced for the inevitable impact.

"Mission achieved," Chichi declared as she grabbed Naruto tightly, the speed of her impact knocking the air from his lungs as she came down to land, only to realize too late that she had been so focused on catching Naruto, she had launched herself at him more energetically than she had planned to. Rather than a soft landing on the grass, the two of them were headed straight for the lake next to the farm. She braced herself for an impact that never came. A sudden surge of warmth spread through her body and she found herself held above the water by a glowing yellow limb. Naruto himself was stood atop the water's surface.

"How?" Chichi blinked as the golden limb put her down on the shore.

"Chakra," Naruto replied simply as he walked over to the shore. "It's kind of like a natural energy that powers me and my jutsu."

"Thank you," Chichi nodded, "Whilst I wouldn't have died, being submerged is extremely unpleasant for me. It appears that you may have some latent talent as a handler after all."

"Er... " Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks I guess? So you're not a big fan of water huh?"

"It's just that my lungs are in my abdomen," Chichi gestured to her spider half. "In what you could call my rear. I can breath through the surface of my skin so when I am submerged, while it won't kill me, it feels like I'm suffocating from all sides."

"Wait… You breathe from your butt?" Naruto blinked.

"I leave you alone for an hour and already you have dropped to that Vulgar Spider's level," A disapproving Kaguya remarked as she emerged from the forest, her kimono looking slightly worse for wear.

"Oh hi Kaguya-chan."

"Kaguya-sama," The former goddess brushed herself off and set down. "You shall address me as Kaguya-sama."

"Whatever you say Kaguya-sama-chan."

"... I will not sink to your level," Kaguya scoffed. "I have just one question."

"Oh?"

"Why… Why are you wasting my chakra?!" She pointed at his golden form.

"Oh this?" Naruto laughed weakly. "Well you see we were going to fall into the lake so I called on Kurama's power to stop Chichi and I from getting soaked."

"So you wasted _my_ chakra because you didn't want to get wet." Kaguya remarked.

"When you put it like that it seems less cool," Naruto grumbled.

"Nothing about you is 'cool', except your association to me." Kaguya remarked. "As my servant that is."

"You know what, I was going to let you come back home with me, but now I think I'll just leave you here," Naruto crossed his arms.

"You mean to tell me you have found a way back home?" Kaguya's eyes lit up slightly.

"I'm pretty sure I have," Naruto allowed himself a moment of smugness. "I mean it would take a lot of chakra."

"It would finally be a use that wasn't a complete waste," Kaguya smiled.

"Huh?" Naruto chuckled. "This must be one of the first times I've actually seen you smile. You should do that more. It suits you."

"It is the duty of a servant to compliment their master," Kaguya remarked. _'Although admittedly my old servants never seemed quite as sincere with their compliments as you just did.'_

"I can't even say anything nice to her," Naruto turned to Chichi who looked bemused at their interactions. "So I guess this is goodbye then."

"You are leaving?"

"Well hopefully. Just as well really, considering you successfully captured me. That means I have to write a letter for you to find a new handler."

"Er…" Chichi frowned softly. "I… I don't believe I won."

"Huh?"

"Two out of three times I was soundly beaten. I am grateful that you even allowed me more than one chance." Chichi bowed her head. "As per the rules that we agreed upon, I am to stay with you."

"But I might be heading back home."

"Article 2-A, Subsection 1. A handler is responsible for the wellbeing of their assigned representatives until the relevant body qualifies the representative for human integration without a handler or the handler is deemed incapable of performing their duties." Chichi quoted. "Until Agent Smith says otherwise I must stay with you."

"What are you saying?"

"If you are to leave this residence then I must accompany you." Chichi stated firmly.

"But," Naruto blinked. "We could be going far away."

"There is no limit on the reach of the law."

"Kaguya… A little help?"

"I'm sorry?" Kaguya looked at him. "You can't have been talking to me."

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "Oh gracious Kaguya-sama. Please help me." He rolled his eyes.

"No," Kaguya smiled at him.

"This is for the face paint isn't it? When will you let that go?!" Naruto wailed.

"When you undo ruining the last hope of peace for our home."

"I just can't win with you can I?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well… Here goes nothing!" He bit his thumb and slammed it down on the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Was something supposed to happen?" Kaguya remarked unimpressed.

' _Kurama… Give me all you've got!'_

' _ **This isn't going to work.'**_ Kurama remarked but relinquished a great deal of chakra regardless.

' _Now to top it all up with a little nature chakra!'_ Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them his eyes, already red from the effect of the cloak had been replaced by his orange sage eyes with slits through the bars thanks to Kurama's influence.

' _ **Wait a minute, do you feel that?'**_ Kurama tried to get Naruto's attention but he was too focused on his Jutsu to care about anything else right now.

"Here we go! KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!" Naruto bit his thumb again and poured as much chakra as he could into the summoning.

There was a burst of smoke that filled the area and when it cleared Naruto let out a whoop of joy.

"It worked!" Naruto laughed. _'Odd she doesn't look like the other female toad's I met. Maybe after a certain age they all just end up looking like Granny sage.'_

"Er…" Kaguya blinked as she took in this new arrival. She had green skin with brown splotches appearing now and again on her arms and legs. She wore what looked like a conductor's hat with blonde bangs covering her forehead. The rest of her hair was tied into a high ponytail that trailed down the large coat she was wearing, its sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her collar lifted up. Beneath the coat she wore only some bindings to cover her modest chest and some dark pants tied at the waist with a rope belt .

Kaguya noted that her bare feet were on display, revealing the webbing between her toes that was mirrored on her hands. _'This one must be even more common than my servant.'_

Chichi found herself instinctively distrusting this new arrival. _'She looks like some sort of delinquent. What is this ruffian doing here?'_

"Alright!" Naruto grinned. "I need you to go back and tell Grandpa sage to…"

"I ain't doing nothing." The toad girl spat.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked.

"As amusing as this is," Kaguya brushed off her kimono and stood up to leave. "I am returning home. I will bathe then be down to have a meal. I expect the bath to be ready and hot for me in ten minutes."

"Where do you think you are going?!" The toad scowled.

"To my house." Kaguya retorted.

"It ain't yours anymore." She declared. "You all listen good! My name is Nectophry but you're going to be calling me Toph-sama from now on! You're my underlings and this is my territory now!"

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the second chapter!**

 **I bet you're all wondering who this delinquent Toad Girl dressed like a banchou is, right? Well, you'll just have to wait and see next chapter! By the way, her name is based on Nectophrynoides, a genus of True Toads known to both lay eggs that hatch into miniature toads instead of tadpoles and give birth to live young (also miniature toads). All the OC names are related to their species, but some might take some more knowledge than others. Chichi's name, for example, is based on the fact that "chichi" is an informal way of saying "dad" and her subspecies are called Long Legs-Type Arachne, so it is meant to be a reference to the Daddy Long Legs spider. When I named her this, I didn't realize her species was more based on Wolf Spiders, but I liked the name and it still kind of worked, so I left it. Next chapter I'll give you all a little back story on how and why I came up with Toph (and no, it has nothing to do with ATLA).**

 **Now to answer some questions from last chapter. Some of you have asked if the farm means there will be some of the farm related Liminals like Cathyl or Merino. The answer is yes, but it is likely not all of the official ones will be appear and some of them will be OCs. Also, don't expect to see them for a while. It was stated in the manga that they were assigned to a farm because they wanted to learn about farming, so until Naruto actually shows he can farm to Ms Smith, there's no reason for her to assume he can actually teach them. Next, some people have asked about specific side characters or species. I can't answer one way or another without giving too much away, but I will say this: In addition to several side characters, I have made at least one OC based on the subspecies from every one of the end cards of the anime. Finally, some people have been mentioning the wikia and online game in reviews. I'm well are of it, don't worry.**

 **Now, onto some expected questions.**

 **Q: Why are rabbits following Kaguya around and can she actually understand them?**

 **A: It's mostly just a gag that has some practical use and no, she can't understand them. It's just a coping mechanism to deal with the stress of this strange new situation.**

 **Q: When he goes into Chichi's room, how does Naruto know what a TV is?**

 **A: Chapter 181, the first chapter of Volume 21 of the Naruto manga, shows Sasuke standing in his room staring at his team photo just before he defects from the village. It that room is a TV, though it appears to be the kind that uses tubes and such as opposed to the LED screens we have today. As far as this story goes, I'm assuming that they only had prerecorded video (like a VHS tape) and not broadcast television, so Naruto understands the concept of a TV, but not all the things a modern one can do.**

 **Q: Why did Chichi say the Exchange Bill was signed 2 years ago? In the manga Kimihito said it was 3 years ago.**

 **A: When did I ever say this story started at the same time as Kimihito's? I have reasons for why it starts earlier, just know that for now.**

 **Q: How was Chichi able to keep up with Naruto (when there were no clones to block her)? He should be much faster than her!**

 **A: Much of Naruto's speed is augmented by his Nine Tails Chakra Cloak and/or Sage Mode, so he is significantly slower without them (though still much faster than the average human). Also, spiders can be quite fast when they need to be, and a spider scaled up to a larger than human size would be even faster.**

 **Q: How did the Yahiko clone get back to Naruto so fast?**

 **A: The small hideout he built had a tunnel that led out near the fields. Remember this, as it may come up later (no guarantees).**

 **Q: If no one has chakra, why is there natural energy? Is this just a convenient way for you to allow Naruto to use Sage Mode?**

 **A: Because, in this story at least, the ability to generate and control chakra was given to people (and the ancestors of future ninja animals) by Hagoromo. No, this is not just for convenience. I have plans for the natural energy, but you'll just have to wait awhile to find out.**

 **Q: How did Naruto summon a Toad Girl? His contract is only with the toads of Mt Myoboku!**

 **A: The details of this will be revealed next chapter. There should be enough clues in this chapter for you to figure it out, but I'll give you one more: Every time a summoning jutsu is preformed, three things appear. One is a summon seal on the ground, one is the summon itself, and one is... something else. Just because one of those things doesn't appear, doesn't mean the others won't if you pump enough chakra into it. I wonder if anyone will figure it out~**

 **See ya next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys and gals! Sorry for the delay, but Drake lives in the UK and I live in the US, so the times we can work are often limited to when our schedules line up. Since the last chapter, I've watched/read the My Hero Academia series. It's pretty awesome! I think Mina is the cutest in the series, but Jirou's personality is my favorite. Tsuyu is pretty cool as well. At the bottom of the chapter I'll do that expected questions thing again as well as explain the origin for Toph's creation and a bit on her biology. And no, Tsuyu had nothing to do with it. I created Toph BEFORE I watched/read any of My Hero Academia. I want to mention that I sometimes do edits for a few days after I post a chapter in case I spot a typo or something I think would be better reworded, so keep that in mind. Last chapter I added an extra question to the "expected questions" section, so for those that missed it, it basically just says that this story starts about a year before Kimihito story did and explains why I chose to do that. Anyway, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

The farm was strangely quiet, given the usual hustle of Naruto's clones hard at work fixing it up. The three residents of the restored building were all stood staring at the new arrival, the Toad girl Toph.

There was a sort of stunned silence as Naruto and his two charges looked at each other, not quite sure how to respond before Naruto finally spoke.

"I'm sorry?" Naruto frowned, still clad in his golden cloak, his Kyuubi-Sage eyes focused on Toph.

"And you should be," Toph crossed her arms atop the bindings covering her modest chest. "I'm the boss around here now."

"I get the feeling she's not from Mount Myoboku." Naruto scowled. "Come to think of it, she does look a lot more humanoid than the other toads."

"Mount what?" Toph scowled. "Never heard of it."

"I could have sworn that I performed the jutsu right," Naruto scowled. "What the hell went wrong?"

"Clearly a lowly being such as yourself would never be able to achieve the same feats as I." Kaguya looked proud for a moment. "Although I will give you some credit where it is due. You did make an impressive smoke cloud."

"...I'm just going to take that as a compliment."

"Hey stop ignoring me you bastards!" Toph pointed angrily at Naruto. "You respect the boss you hear?!"

"I don't know what happened but I was the one who summoned you so…" Naruto started until he was cut off by a derisive snort from Toph.

"Summoned?" Toph snorted. "What? You suffering from a case of chuunibyou or something?"

"Eh?"

"You can't summon people, idiot," She scoffed. "You don't have some sort of magic powers."

"I've remained silent for too long." Chichi angrily stepped forwards. "Handler-san is recognized by the Exchange Treaty and as such deserves your respect as stated by Article 21-D subsection 1!"

"Bite me," Toph spat. "You can stick your stupid rules right up your ass! I follow my own rules."

"How crass," Kaguya scowled disapprovingly. "It appears this world is full of foul mouthed beings like the Vulgar Spider here."

"Eh? You say something you stuck up bitch? How 'bout I beat some respect into you?" She cracked her neck menacingly.

"Servant, deal with this unsightly blemish."

"Just try it!"

"Okay, okay," Naruto held his arms up to calm the situation. "Clearly we have gotten off on the wrong foot here. Let's start with the basics shall we? I'm Naruto and this is Kaguya and Chichi and we live here. Now, you said you're called Toph right? How'd you get here if I didn't summon you?"

"I go wherever the hell I want!"

"Without a handler?" Chichi scowled. "Do you have the correct permits?"

"Permits?" Toph snorted. "I don't need no stinking permits. I don't follow those stupid exchange laws."

"Wait a minute!" Chichi stepped between Naruto and Toph. "You admit to being a criminal, breaking the law, in front of me?"

"Maybe I am, what is it to you?"

"It is my duty as a future police officer to place you under citizen's arrest!" She produced some handcuffs from her belt.

"Eh? You think those little things can keep me contained?" Toph sneered. "You'll never be able to capture me you useless copper. Why not go back to eating donuts and getting fat?"

"You bitch…" Chichi twitched with rage. "How dare you mock the honorable profession of policing?! I refuse to stand back and let some… some delinquent frog mock such an honorable occupation!"

"...What did you call me?" Toph lowered her head so that the cap of her hat covered her eyes.

"You heard me you delinquent frog!"

"I'm going to enjoy this," Toph raised her head again, her eyes glowing with righteous fury. "I'm not a frog you stupid bitch!" She opened her mouth and launched her tongue with lightning quick speed, but her attack never found its target. Faster than either Chichi or Toph could see, Naruto had stepped in front of Chichi and grabbed Toph's tongue.

"Now, now," Naruto sighed. "Let's calm down shall we?" He released Toph's tongue. "I know from experience that Toads tend to get upset when you call them frogs."

"W-well she insulted policing," Chichi narrowed her eyes. "And she's a criminal!"

"So… You're the boss then?" Toph grinned ."You the one who's ass I have to kick in order to run this place?"

"W-what?!" Chichi scowled. "Threatening a handler?! That'll get you deported!"

"Like I give a damn. I'm still gonna crush him!" Toph pointed at Naruto. _'A Liminal handler, huh? After I kick his ass I'll take that title too and use it to build up my gang of Liminals. I'll be the most badass gang leader ever!'_

"Trust me," Naruto shook his head. "You don't want to do this."

"Oh but I do," Toph crouched. "If you impress me I might even let you stay on as my lieutenant or something."

"Handler-san," Chichi frowned. "It is against the law for a human to injure a Liminal. Allow me to apprehend her."

"Don't worry," Naruto chuckled. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"Damn straight you aren't," Toph yelled as she launched herself full speed at Naruto. "You gonna be seeing stars!"

"I doubt that," Naruto ducked under her attack, resulting in the toad soaring over the top of Naruto and landing heavily on the ground, where she quickly regained her footing and lashed out with her tongue, a victorious glint in her eye as the tongue wrapped around Naruto's arm and pulling him towards her, only to be surprised when Naruto was replaced by a section of old piping that had been torn away from the old building during the renovations.

Naruto watched as Toph, somewhat confused by what had happened, was a second to slow to react and struck herself in the face with the pipe before releasing it from her tongue.

"That wasn't against the exchange laws was it?" Naruto glanced at Chichi.

"That was technically self-inflicted." Chichi replied. "So I'll overlook it."

"Argh damn it!" Toph glared at Naruto. "How the hell did ya do that? I had you right where I wanted you!"

"As if a simple attack like that would be enough to stop the future Hokage," Naruto proudly boasted.

' _ **Pride cometh before the fall.'**_ Kurama warned. _**'I'm sure that Kaguya would have said it would take more than a small group of sexy, naked pretty boys to distract her but we all remember how that played out.'**_

' _And Iruka-sensei said that was a stupid technique.'_ Naruto shook his head.

' _ **Incoming.'**_

' _Huh?'_ Naruto yelped in shock as the angry amphibian leapt at him again, relying on large leaps to close the distance but for all her angry yells and furious swings, she never looked like landing a solid hit on Naruto.

' _This feels kind of familiar,'_ Naruto mused.

' _ **What, an angry girl trying to clobber you? You're thinking of that pink haired girl right? Sakura?'**_

' _Yeah… I wonder how she's doing since we ended up here? Do you think her and Sasuke are trying to find a way to bring me back?'_

' _ **I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.'**_

"What's the big idea?!" Toph noticed Naruto's distant look. "Pay attention to me when we're fighting damn it!"

"Ah sorry," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I was just getting nostalgic."

"Huh?"

"You remind me of an old friend. She had a mighty temper and quite a bit of strength as well."

' _ **Not to mention they're both lacking in the chest department.'**_

"That's true," Naruto thought aloud. "Both Sakura-chan and Toph do have small chests."

"What did you say?!" Toph seemed to glow with rage.

' _ **Probably shouldn't have said that out loud.'**_

"Eh?!" Naruto blinked.

"So what if my chest is small… It's the perfect size for kicking your ass you bastard!" Toph launched herself at the the flustered Naruto, who was trying to apologize, but all Toph could hear was the blood pounding in her ears. "TAKE THIS YOU BREAST MANIAC!" She struck Naruto with all her might, causing him to skid backwards slightly with some bruising on his cheek.

"That's assault!" Chichi stepped forward. "I can no longer stand back. You are acting in violation of Article…"

"It's okay," Naruto winced as he rubbed his cheek, the golden chakra cloak having protected him from any serious damage. "Do you feel better now?"

"Eh?"

"Sakura-chan always seemed to calm down after I let her hit me." Naruto smiled slightly as he raised a hand to touch the bruise. "Ouch, that stings."

' _ **Quit being such a baby. You've been skewered through the chest by your best friend. That's serious physical and emotional damage. Compared to that, this is barely a gentle tap on the wrist.'**_ Kurama rolled his eyes as he settled down in Naruto's mind.

"You… You're saying you let me hit you?" Toph scowled. "Just admit that you are no match for me!"

"So you still want to fight?" Naruto sighed. "Oh well. I guess it's time to end this then."

"I'll end your face!" Toph threw another punch, but this time Naruto simply leaned to the side, allowing the angry toad's attack to miss. Having put all of her weight into the blow, the complete lack of impact caused her to stagger forwards.

Before Toph even had time to register that her attack hadn't landed, Naruto had swept her feet from below her and pinned her to the floor on her back, a knee firmly but gently placed against her stomach and a kunai held just above her throat so as to not cut her, yet still make it clear that any struggling would probably not end well for the new arrival.

"W-what the hell happened?!" Toph blinked. "That was too fast goldilocks!"

"Handler-San… Is that a weapon?" Chichi frowned.

"It's a Kunai," Naruto nodded.

"Do you have the relevant permit?"

"Permit?" The blonde ninja looked confused. "What for!"

"The weapon." Chichi frowned. "It's against the law in Japan to carry a blade with a length in excess of six centimetres. You could face 2 years in jail and up to 300000 yen. Please use these handcuffs." She handed the handcuffs she had taken out earlier to Naruto.

"Lemme go!" Toph squirmed as Naruto held the handcuffs uncertainly. "Fine I give up. You happy?"

"There, you have dealt with the issue," Kaguya remarked. "Now stop wasting my chakra! I'm pretty sure you could have ended that at any time. Your prolonging of the conflict only served to waste more chakra. You should be more frugal with its application, you wasteful servant."

"Geez," Naruto rolled his eyes as he allowed his golden cloak to disperse, retaining his Sage Mode to deal with the toad girl's impressive strength. "Anyone would think it wasn't a renewable energy source."

"Maybe for some," Kaguya remarked testily.

"Oh right. Sorry." Naruto laughed weakly before looking down at Toph, "So you said you had surrendered right?"

"Eh? What kind of a Liminal are you?" Toph frowned, "Wait… your eyes…" She stopped her struggling for a moment on seeing the familiar toad eyes ."Are you… like me?"

"I'm a human," Naruto assured her as he dropped his sage mode. "But I have a bit of an affinity with toads."

"Huh," Toph didn't quite understand what that meant, but accepted the explanation.

"Now are you going to settle down and talk or do I have to keep you pinned like this?"

"Tch," Toph looked away. "I'll talk on one condition."

"Oh?"

"That stupid copper apologizes for calling me a frog. I ain't no slimy frog. I'm a Toad-Type Bullywug."

"Well?" Naruto glanced at Chichi.

"You wish for me to apologize to this… delinquent?"

"Isn't there a rule about treating other Liminals with respect or something?"

"Well yes... but that's only members of the exchange program! She is a criminal!"

"Then how about the one that says you should listen to your handler?"

"I… You are correct of course." Chichi scowled at Toph.

"Go on then." Toph grinned.

"... Sorry," Chichi scowled. "For calling you a frog. You are a delinquent though, and one that should be deported."

"That'll do." Toph smirked as Naruto released her and helped her to her feet.

"I apologize sincerely for my conduct. As an exchange student, I should behave in a way that does not reflect negatively on my handler. As such, I am truly sorry for behaving in such an unsightly manner." Chichi bowed her head to Naruto. "I fully understand if you wish to report my actions to Agent Smith."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto smiled at Chichi.

"You are too kind Handler-san."

"Geez, get that weepy crap out of here," Toph snorted.

"I'm sorry did you say something?" Chichi narrowed her six eyes.

"What? All those donuts you eat affecting your hearing copper?" Toph cupped her ear. "You need me to speak louder?"

"Clearly you have taken too many blows to your cranium in your delinquent pursuits. It's affecting your mental processes." Chichi scowled at the Toad.

"It appears the Vulgar spider and the miscreant are going to be a nuisance again." Kaguya yawned. "I am heading home. While I should have expected you to fail, you managed to actually fail even worse than I was expecting. What a useless servant."

"Hey," Naruto defended himself. "At least I am still trying to find a way back home rather than sitting around acting all high and mighty."

"I…" Kaguya paused and frowned. "...Maybe I was little too harsh with my words." She turned to leave, hiding a slightly saddened expression.

"And that's probably as close to an apology as I'm going to get." Naruto sighed.

"Damn, she's a bitch," Toph scoffed.

"Kaguya-san is a little… frigid at times," Chichi frowned. "If I were to identify an issue with her, it would be her lack of respect for Handler-san, in direct violation if the exchange laws."

"Well, it's not like she doesn't have her reasons." Naruto sighed. "I mean I'm sort of the reason she's trapped here, has no powers and is missing an arm."

"...I don't even want to know. Anyway, she should still respect you," Chichi stated. "It is clearly stated in Article…"

"I know," Naruto cut her off. "She's probably just suffering from culture shock. She'll get better with time." _'At least I hope she gets better. There's only so much of her sneering I can take.'_

"If you are sure." Chichi didn't look convinced but dropped the subject regardless.

"Stuck up bitches like that really piss me off." Toph snorted.

"Say Toph. If I didn't summon you, then how'd you get here?" Naruto returned his attention to the amphibian Liminal.

' _ **She leapt into the cloud of smoke while everyone was focused on you.'**_ Kurama informed him. _'_ _ **She seemed to come from the direction of the road.'**_

' _Wait, you knew she wasn't summoned?! Why didn't you tell me?'_

' _ **I tried but you were too busy wasting our chakra… Oh gods I'm turning into the bunny hag.'**_

Naruto shook his head with a soft smile as Toph prepared to tell her story.

"Heh," Toph smirked as she stared off into the distance. "Truly, it was an epic battle. There I was, armed only with my bokken against a small army of ogres and undying zombies. They tried to crush me but I held my own, fiercely battling until one of the cowards knocked me out from behind! Then, as they were transporting me in a heavily armed convoy with elite soldiers guarding me, but as soon as I woke up, I broke free of my chains, kicked the asses of those 'elites' and broke out of the convoy!"

"Really?" Naruto raised any eyebrow.

"Yeah and then…" Toph suddenly went silent as a large vehicle pulled towards the house. It was a heavily re-inforced transport with the back doors hanging off as if some sort of explosion had forced them open. The vehicle pulled up infront of the farm, it's engine spluttering loudly as it drew to a halt and a familiar figure stepped from the back of the transport with a cheerful smile.

"What is that racket?" Kaguya sighed, returning the group upon hearing the transport drive up. "Sunglasses is here? It must be approaching a meal time then."

A large armored figure followed Ms. Smith out of the back of the vehicle.

"Him," Kaguya ground her teeth angrily. "That uncultured oaf who threw me other his shoulder like some kind of… sack of food!" She finished weakly.

"I'm not cooking a meal right now," Naruto remarked dryly as Ms Smith and Tio approached.

"Now, now," Smith sighed. "You make it sound like I only ever show up to bum a meal off of you. I'll have you know I'm here on official business. I see you've met Nectophry-chan."

Naruto put two and two together, "So I'm guessing that's the armored convoy you escaped from?" He glanced at the beat up truck.

"Y-yeah," Toph glared at Tio. "This time you won't take me by surprise!"

"Surprise?" Naruto blinked.

"Oh Nectophry is just upset that Tio picked her up in a bear hug she couldn't escape from. Kind of like that." Ms. Smith pointed to the toad girl who was lifted off of the ground in the steel grip of one of Tio's hugs.

"H-Hey!" Toph squirmed. "Let me go!"

"Don't do it Tio," Ms. Smith shook her head. "Can't have her running away again."

"An army of ogres huh?" Chichi scowled at the sweating Toph. "As expected of a delinquent, you were lying through your teeth. I'll bet there wasn't even any zombies."

"Oh there was one," Ms. Smith nodded. "Zombina-chan."

"It seemed like more," Toph weakly protested.

"So why're you here then if not to mooch food?" Naruto crossed his arms

"Well, I would like to tell you but my throat is just _so_ parched. As a good host, you'll offer me some coffee while I talk, won't you?" Ms. Smith smiled.

' _Should have seen that coming.'_ Naruto, Kaguya and Chichi all shared the same thought for a moment.

"Well, let's head back to the house and you can tell me all about it," Naruto sighed.

"If you insist," Ms. Smith smiled.

* * *

 _A Few Moments Later._

The gang were all sat around a table in Naruto's dining area. As with most of the rooms, this large meeting area was largely devoid of decoration. There was a large table, which seemed to have been designed with the taller Liminals in mind as Chichi had little difficulty getting comfortable. Toph had easily leapt on to her chair opposite the spider girl but Kaguya had needed Naruto's assistance to climb into the slighter larger chairs, much to her embarrassment.

Kaguya sat scowling. It was embarrassing enough that she needed to be helped onto her chair but to add insult to injury, she had been provided with a pair of chopsticks that were proving difficult to separate with one hand. After watching her nearly knock over her drink, Naruto decided he had to do something.

"Er… Do you need a hand?" Naruto offered.

"I do not require assistance for such a basic task," Kaguya replied angrily as she continued in her efforts. _'If I had my full power I could create my own chopsticks… Now I find myself at the mercy of a small piece of wood.'_ She glanced at the loose kimono sleeve where her arm should have been, had a certain blonde ninja not torn it from her. She felt a spike of anger and helplessness which was only compounded when Naruto took the chopsticks from her and separated them.

"We don't have to be enemies." Naruto pointed out as he returned the chopsticks.

"Do not flatter yourself," Kaguya refused the chopsticks, her pride severely wounded and she retaliated using the only weapon she had left, her disdain and scorn. "You are not important enough to be to earn the title of enemy. Would you call the gnat buzzing in your ear an enemy?"

Naruto bit back an angry retort. _'I need her to get back home. I can't forget that.'_ He let out a sigh and chose to ignore Kaguya and return his attention to Smith, Chichi and Toph. "So…" Naruto prompted,"You were going to tell me the story behind Toph."

"There's no rush." took a sip of coffee. "Aah, this is the stuff," She nodded happily as a Kage Bunshin poured her another cup of coffee. "I don't suppose that I could borrow one of these clones as a sort of servant?" She nodded to the clone stood next to her, "They seem to be quite useful. It's an impressive ability you have."

"It is, isn't it." Naruto grinned happily at the positive response to his favored technique.

' _ **Careful Naruto. Don't go falling for a few compliments. She'll have you waiting on her every moment of the day if you let your guard down.'**_

' _I'm not that weak to compliments.'_ Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Would you mind if I kept this clone?"

"Wait what?!" The clone blinked.

"He makes such a good cup of coffee," Ms. Smith took another happy sip.

"Oops," The clone spoke in a deadpan before dropping the boiling coffee he was holding on his foot, dispelling him in an instant.

"Idiot clones," Naruto groaned.

"Aren't the clones copies of you?" Kaguya asked as she sipped her carrot juice, her bunnies all edging around her slowly as if they sensed the storm of negative emotions whirling through her right now.

"Yes and?"

"So wouldn't that mean you're an idiot as well?"

"Well how does it feel to have been sealed away by an idiot?"

"I…" Kaguya opened her mouth and shut it a few times, unable to think of a good comeback.

"Agent Smith," Chichi cleared her throat as Kaguya struggled to think of something to say, "I was wondering if I might ask a question?"

"Of course." Smith was grateful for the change in topic. The tense mood was ruining her appetite. Not that she wouldn't eat a free meal mind you, she just wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much.

"Well," Chichi glared at Toph, "This criminal is clearly a threat to any possible host, so I was wondering what the plan was in regards to her deportation."

"I ain't going nowhere!" Toph declared.

"You're a criminal and should be sent away. Preferably to a prison of some sort where you belong."

"There ain't no prison that can hold me!" The Toad-Type boasted proudly.

"Well," Smith chuckled. "Under the usual circumstances, the offender would be transferred to a secure location until all the arrangements could be made with the exchange student's homeland. Then they would be sent home as quickly as possible. Usually there are also a few political hurdles that need to be cleared before deportation can take place, though."

"I would be willing to lend any assistance that you require of me in order to see this delinquent brought to justice."

"Fight me!" Toph slammed her palms on the table angrily.

"What a lively household," Smith chuckled.

"Er… Where's your friend?" Naruto made a gesture with his arms to indicate the tall figure who had accompanied Ms. Smith.

"Oh Tio? I figured it would be rude to have my subordinate wear that heavy armor while eating the meal you're so generously going to prepare."

"Oh," Naruto frowned. "I don't know what sort of food he likes."

' _He?'_ Ms. Smith smiled mischievously. "Oh it doesn't really matter. Just normal food will probably do, although if you can make a sweet dessert, I think Tio would appreciate that."

"Okay," Naruto turned to a group of clones who were running around the kitchen. "I guess the food will be ready soon. You were going to tell us why you're here, right?"

"Oh right," Smith nodded. "Well you see, I was on my way here with Tio and Nectophry-chan…"

* * *

 _Earlier in the Transport _

"Lemme go! You can't keep me caged!" Toph declared as she struggled to break the chains that connected the handcuffs she was wearing to the floor of the van. She was sitting on a bench in the back of the large transport, trying to squirm free. Sitting beside her was Tio, fully clad in her armor with one hand on the Toad-Type's shoulder to prevent her escape should she somehow get out of her chains. Ms. Smith was sat opposite Toph, a half empty cup of coffee in one hand and a collection of files in the other.

"You've just been arrested for attacking your handler and trying to take over his house." Ms. Smith raised an eyebrow at Toph. "All in all, you're lucky that you aren't in some sort of straightjacket. You pose a significant risk to those around you."

"Bite me!" Toph spat at Ms. Smith. "You could at least give me my bokken!"

"I don't think so." Ms. Smith rubbed her forehead. "Do you know how much damage you did to one of my team members?"

"She could have dodged," Toph frowned. "It's not my fault your lackies lack self-preservation instincts."

"Zombina-chan is a special case," Tio remarked.

"Besides," Toph scowled at Ms. Smith. "I was perfectly justified! That bastard called me a frog! Like hell I was going to put up with that!"

"Your handler didn't mean it as an insult," Tio tried to calm the furious Toad-Type Bullywug.

"Like hell he didn't!" Toph started to squirm angrily. "Do I look like some sort of slimy frog?! Why the hell are they just called Bullywugs anyway?! Shouldn't they be called Frog-Types if I have to be called a Toad-Type! It's damn speciesism you lousy bastards!"

"Please stop struggling," Tio frowned softly.

"Why? So they can send me to jail or kick me out of the country," Toph scoffed. "Like hell I'm giving up that easy! Fight me!" Toph tried ineffectively to headbut Tio. "Not so tough in a face to face fight are you?"

"Er…" Tio glanced at a bemused Smith as the furious toad Liminal tried to headbut through Tio's armor.

"If my bokken hadn't gotten stuck in that zombie I would have kicked all of your sorry asses!" Toph yelled.

"My, my," Smith chuckled. "You are going to be quite a handful." She opened the file on her lap and read it. "Nectophry, Toad-Type Bullywug. Current violations to the Exchange program include violence against a host, behavior liable to cause harm to the public, and excessive profanity." Ms Smith rubbed her forehead. "Why did you join the program in the first place?"

"Because I could," Toph shrugged.

"What co-ordinator let you into the program with such a half-assed reason?" Smith turned over the page. "Oh…"

"Who was it?" Tio asked.

"N-never mind that," Smith coughed awkwardly. "I suppose it would be easier to just send you home then. It isn't as if you have any goals to achieve."

"Like hell!" Toph declared. "I decided I was going to be in this program and that's it! My pride won't allow me to back down now!"

"Well fortunately for you, there is one last handler I could assign you to. I don't think he would have too much trouble dealing with you, but be warned this truly is your last chance."

"Ha! You must think I was born yesterday. There's no human that can handle me!" Toph smirked proudly. "I'm a total badass! I only follow my own rules so you can tell your handler to shove it."

"You're determined to give me more work, aren't you?" Ms. Smith pushed her sunglasses up. "Unfortunately for you, I don't have the time to do more work, so you're being assigned to my… specialist handler." Ms. Smith continued to read the paper work, making sure to edit out all mentions of her name in the approval process. Unfortunately for the work-shy Smith, there were a lot of documents that mentioned her and if it got back she had approved Toph's assignment, she would likely be forced to take the refresher course, which was a week of the most boring classroom based learning Ms. Smith had ever had the misfortune of being sent on. Twice.

"Specialist handler…" Toph frowned. _'That doesn't sound good. Is it some sort of internment camp?! Crap, I need to figure a way out of here.'_

"Don't worry." Tio tried to reassure Toph. "While I've only briefly met this handler, Ms. Smith speaks highly of him. I'm sure that you'll be happy with him."

"Tch," Toph scowled. "Probably just another lecher who wanted to be surrounded by cute girls. Then he'll see me and be all 'Oh no this isn't a cute Lamia or a cat girl.'"

"Maybe he likes frogs and toad types?"

"Why the hell would you say those two things together?!" Toph growled. "They are _completely_ different things."

"Ah sorry, many people wouldn't know the difference." Tio tried to explain.

"Oh, so that makes it okay? Maybe I should just refer to you as a giant 'cause you're so freaking huge? How's that make you feel huh? You freaking giant."

"W-well," Tio slumped slightly. She was already quite concerned about her height without Toph pointing it out.

Toph narrowed her eyes as Tio took removed her hand from Toph's shoulder and started to wring her hands nervously. _'So they are both distracted. This is my chance!'_ She closed her eyes and started to focus on bad memories, the first time she had met her original handler, the look of disappointment on his face and his request for a 'cuter' Liminal. As her anger grew, her body started to emit a toxin from the bumps on the back of her neck.

After pausing to make sure Tio and Smith were still distracted, she bent over until she could reach the back of her head and rubbed the toxin into her handcuffs, allowing it to lubricate her wrists. Before Smith and Tio even realized what she was doing, she had leapt to her feet, her hands slipping from the manacles and launched herself at the back door, using the explosive jumping power at her disposal to clear the distance and kick open the door.

"Catch you later bitch!" Toph declared to Smith, "And next time I'll waste you!" She pointed at Tio before leaping clear of the van.

"Ah," Tio turned to Smith. "She got away."

"...I might even have to go on the month course now…" Smith's shoulders slumped. "Unless… Hehehe…"

"Smith-san?"

"Naruto's clones. We're close to the farm and we can get him to find her!" Smith smirked. "Quickly! To the farm," She banged on the partition between the driver and the rear of the vehicle. "My free time depends on it!"

* * *

 _With Toph_

"The amazing Toph-sama does it again! Sticking it to the man against impossible odds!" Toph smirked as she hopped into the forest. _'I can hang out around here for a while. No one will find me and there are bound to be plenty of grubs and berries and such around here that I can eat.'_ Toph nodded as she sat down on a tree stump. "Ugh, what is this? Sap?" She looked at a strange sticky substance on her hand.

There was the sound of rustling grass behind her and she felt hungry eyes staring at her.

"Who's there? You wanna go? I'll kick your ass!" Toph declared to the bushes as she tried to spot the foe. "What you too chicken to face me?" She snapped a branch off of a tree and brandished it like a sword. "Come on!" She taunted.

The bushes rustled some more.

"Fine I'll come to you then!" Toph lunged with the branch, thrusting it into the bush and slashing blindly, causing whatever was causing the noise to retreat. "Hah! Another victory for Toph-sama!" She glanced at the badly splintered branch and tossed it to one side. _'I am unstoppable right now! But the fact is that those government goons probably won't leave me alone. I'll need followers. Heh.'_ Toph smirked. _'I'll need a gang to oppose those bastards! Maybe I can find some Liminals around here and beat them into submission!'_ She cracked her fists. _'Yeah… That sounds like a plan.'_

She started to look around the forest until she saw some damaged trees and signs of a chase. "Heh, whatever made these tracks must be hella strong. They'll definitely be useful when facing that giant again!"

Following the trail of damage, she approached the edge of the forest where a glowing yellow Liminal appeared to be talking to a strange one armed Liminal that had a glare so cold, Toph half expected the nearby lake to freeze over, as well as a Long Leg-Type Arachne.

"What are they doing?" Toph wondered as the golden Liminal bit his thumb and slammed it on the floor, causing a smokescreen to envelop the area. _'Well whatever they are doing, they look like a promising first members for my gang!'_ Using the smoke as cover, Toph advanced on the three strangers…

* * *

 _Back to the Present_

"And you all know what happened after that." Toph crossed her arms sulking.

"So you're an escaped criminal who has already attacked a previous host." Chichi stood up suddenly. "I can not in good faith allow this criminal to endanger the wellbeing of Handler-san."

"It's not your call to make," Smith pointed out.

"That is…" Chichi glanced at Naruto. "Surely you cannot be thinking of accepting this… this delinquent into our house?!"

"Aren't you being a little harsh there?" Naruto frowned softly.

"I… I apologize." Chichi lowered her head. "I do not mean to be but… there is just something about her that gets under my skin."

"Don't worry, many people feel inferior in my presence. A stupid copper would never be able to put it into words" Toph declared as Chichi barely held herself back.

"Do you want to be deported?" Naruto asked Toph.

"Hell no," She shook her head. "I decided I was going to do this exchange thing and my pride means I won't give up on it!"

"But you realize that if you keep antagonising Chichi I can't really let you stay here." Naruto pointed out.

"Why should I care about that?"

"Because this is your last chance," Smith cut in. "Either you play nice or you go home."

"Tch, Fine." Toph crossed her arms. "I ain't playing nice with the copper, but if she leaves me alone I'll leave her alone."

"I… I will endeavour to avoid conflict." Chichi frowned. "A police officer should always seek to disarm conflict rather than escalate it."

"That's great." Smith nodded. "So we're all agreed."

"Yeah," Toph replied flippantly.

"Welcome to the farm, I guess." Naruto smiled at Toph.

"Whatever boss," Toph merely crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, putting her bare feet on the table, much to Kaguya's disgust.

"As per Article 21-E, sub-section 2 which states 'A diplomatic representative is required to follow any orders and accept any decisions made by the Handler unless this violates a primary law' I have no choice but welcome you to the household." Chichi narrowed her eyes at Toph. "I shall be sure to correctly instruct you on how to behave."

"Fight me!" Toph stood up.

"Well that seems to be sorted then." Ms. Smith interrupted the two Liminals. "Unless anyone else has anything to say?" She glanced at Kaguya.

"Another charity case…" Kaguya glared at Naruto. "How are you supposed to fulfill your duties as my servant if you keep taking on these hopeless cases."

"Hopeless?" Chichi frowned.

"Don't put me in the same category as that copper!"

"You are so dreadfully common and shameless." She pointed at Chichi. "The vulgar spider and her foul name."

Chichi scowled whilst Toph snickered.

"And you with your shameless attire and complete absence of manners!" Kaguya pointed to Toph who stopped snickering and opened her mouth, probably to tell Kaguya to fight her. Fortunately the conversation was derailed by a certain sunglasses wearing coordinator.

"Oh look," Ms. Smith interrupted the argument. "It looks like food is ready."

"And not a moment too soon," Naruto sighed as the two Liminals and Kaguya settled down as his clones walked in carrying various meals for the people at the table, all the while Chichi and Toph were glaring at each other and shooting the odd glance at Kaguya, who merely ignored them for the most part. "When will your friend join us?"

"Oh I forgot to call her in," Smith smiled. "I told her to wait for my cue. Come on in Tio."

"Her? Tio?" Naruto and Kaguya shared a glance.

' _So the ogre who carried me around like a sack of corn is here? I'll bet she is all muscles and has a face not even a mother could love. Probably has severe body odor issues as well. She's probably of the lowest possible birth, so much so that she makes that useless servant look like the epitome of grace.'_ Kaguya smirked as she imagined a dumb looking ogre missing most of its teeth and dragging a crude club across the floor.

"Sorry I'm late. The armor is difficult to remove without help." A feminine voice called out as Tio re-entered the kitchen. She paused awkwardly as Naruto and Kaguya stared at her. "Is something the matter?"

"W-well," Naruto laughed weakly. "Er…" _'How can I tell her I thought she was going to be some huge guy… Kind of like that guy Han we had to fight before Kaguya appeared.'_

' _ **You mean Kokuo's jinchuuriki?'**_

' _Yeah him.'_ Naruto smiled softly. _'I can't forget any of their names. They entrusted me with them.'_

' _ **Heh,'**_ Kurama seemed amused and touched. _**'Then they were right to trust you. But still, maybe you should stop staring at the girl now?'**_

"Ah!" Naruto looked away from the self conscious Tio, "I er… I thought you were a guy under all that armor. Sorry."

"I get that a lot," Tio pouted slightly. "I guess I don't look very girly in it."

"But you look super girly in that!" Naruto desperately tried to redeem himself. "I mean that dress is so… pretty and er… frilly?" He faltered weakly gesturing to the dress she was wearing. She was wearing a long yellow dress with pale yellow frills along the seams and hem as well as a small red jacket. If there was a word that could be used to describe it, cute was probably the first thing that would come to mind.

' _Super girly?'_ Kaguya felt annoyed for some reason. _'Why is he drooling over that giant harlot? My kimono is far more dignified than that. I mean look at it! You can see her ankles! She has no shame.'_

"You think so?" Tio's face brightened. "Thank you!"

Several clones walked into the dining area.

"You!" Kaguya frowned at Tio. "Do you not know how to handle nobility?!"

"Pardon," There was a flicker of confusion across the ogre's face.

"You threw me over your shoulder like I was an old sack."

"Well, she was half right," Naruto mumbled under his breath.

If Kaguya heard his remark, she gave no sign of it. "As royalty, I should be treated with much more respect than that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Tio bowed her head respectfully.

"W-well…" Kaguya faltered as Tio's natural warm aura started to affect her. "I guess… I can forgive you. Nobility is all about overlooking the failures of the lesser classes."

"Wow… I think that is the first time Kaguya has genuinely forgiven someone." Naruto chuckled. "I think all she's ever done is berate me."

"Well maybe if you weren't a completely useless servant I wouldn't have to." Kaguya responded bluntly.

"I see you two are still on good terms," Smith smiled mischievously.

"He knows his place." Kaguya picked up the chopsticks she had refused to take from Naruto to lift up a small carrot from her meal and place it next to one of her bunnies.

"What kind of boss lets himself get ordered around like that?" Toph's tongue fired out to snatch her plate of food, which she began to eat with her bare hands. "If you tried that with me I'd teach you some respect."

"Like you could teach me anything." Kaguya lifted a fork full of salad to her mouth, only to see it stolen by Toph's long tongue.

"Try me Bunny hag." Toph spat the salad out and stared at Kaguya with a victorious grin.

"How common," Kaguya's face screwed up with disgust.

"You've been awfully quiet Chichi," Naruto turned to the Arachne.

"I feel that you are making a mistake allowing that toad into this household. It appears her every action is calculated to irritate the other members of the household."

"And I bet all the criminals you're going to catch are going to be cooperative?" Naruto pointed out.

"I see," Chichi's eyes widened. "In dealing with Nectophry-san I will be gaining experience in dealing with troubled youths. I apologize for my earlier statement." Chichi bowed her head. "Despite lacking any formal qualifications as a handler, you are proving a most resourceful teacher."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto waved off her bow and stood up to go to the kitchen. "I'll see how dessert is coming along." He headed to the kitchen where all of his clones were sitting around playing cards.

' _ **So are you going to pretend that this was all part of your plan?'**_

' _You know me. I dive in head first then plan as everything starts to fall apart.'_

' _ **That's usually a bad idea, yet it always seems to work for you.'**_ Kurama admitted.

"How long until the desserts are ready?" Naruto asked.

"How long is a piece of string?" One of the clones called back.

' _ **Say Naruto, I've been meaning to ask: Why are you putting up with being given all these responsibilities, not to mention Kaguya's crappy attitude? Aren't we going to go back home?"**_

' _You and me both know I still intend to go home as soon as I find a way back home. As for Kaguya… I feel a little guilty. I'm responsible for her current state and even if she was trying to bring about the end of the world as we know it… I don't think she's a bad person. Just misguided."_

' _ **Ever the foolish optimist.'**_ Despite his words, Kurama seemed amused, ' _ **And what about your other house guests? What are you going to do with them?'**_

' _I guess I would make a pretty sucky Hokage if I didn't help them out a little.'_ Naruto admitted.

' _ **But what if they want to come back to our world? You have something of a gift for getting people to like you for some reason beyond my understanding. It ' possible they may not want to leave you."**_

' _They belong in this world._ ' Naruto's face darkened slightly. _'Can you imagine what Orochimaru and his cronies would do if they got a hold of them? There'll be those who'll want to weaponize them or worse.'_

' _ **True,'**_ Kurama conceded. _**'Just try not to get too attached. We don't belong here.'**_

' _I know Kurama.'_ Naruto sighed heavily.

"Dessert is ready now," One of the clones gestured to a set of trays which had various small cakes on it. "This is the last of the supplies that Smith left us though."

"Yeah," Naruto frowned as he picked up the tray and took it to the table. _'I'll have to arrange a shopping trip or for Ms. Smith to get us some more supplies. She's probably eaten/drank most of them herself after all.'_

' _ **You say that as if you dislike the company.'**_

' _Meal times are certainly more lively now. I imagine this is what it would be like if I had a family, you know?'_

' _ **Lively's one word for it.'**_ Kurama chuckled as Naruto returned to a war zone that was once his dining room.

While he didn't know what had happened in his absence, Smith was sitting at table staring into space, her glasses slightly aschew as she sipped on her coffee. Toph was handcuffed to a chair that she was wielding as a club to try and repel a bunny who was sitting on the table while Chichi was struggling with a bunny rabbit that was trying to chew on her arm. Kaguya appeared largely unaffected, although was glaring at everyone while Tio hugged several bunnies to her chest and was gushing about how cute they were. "I'm not even going to ask."

"I apologize for my behavior," Chichi said as she finally managed to pry the rabbit from her arm. "I should not have allowed Nectophry-san to get me riled up. I shall reflect on this failure."

"I regret nothing," Toph happily declared. "I gotta show these fools who the boss is around here."

"Dessert is served." Naruto placed the tray on the table and Kaguya jerked her head slightly, causing all the rabbits (besides the ones unable to escape from Tio's hug) quickly left the table.

"I see you are adapting to your role of servant well." Kaguya smirked. "You are currently ranked 124."

"124?"

"129. No make that 132."

"I… You are counting your bunnies above me aren't you?" Naruto deadpanned.

"139."

"Just eat your damn cake." Naruto grumbled.

"Oh my," Tio smiled, finally releasing the rabbits who were reluctant to leave Tio's warm aura, much to Kaguya's displeasure. "They're tiny cakes! They looks so cute!"

"I'm glad you like them," Naruto glanced at her. "I think there's even a coffee cake here."

"Don't mind if I do," Smith swooped in and claimed the small cake.

"How amusing," Kaguya watched Tio delicately eat the much smaller cake. "Despite your mammoth size, you are truly feminine aren't you? A woman like you might have even found place in a noble court as a courtesan of some lesser noble."

"I-I see…" Tio slumped slightly.

"Don't listen to her," Naruto shot a warning look at Kaguya.

' _What did I do?'_ Kaguya returned the look with a glare, a strange mix of emotions swirling through her head. Confusion, anger and more than a hint of betrayal, which she quickly suppressed. She was well aware that despite his unofficial title of servant, Naruto was not a member of her retinue (not that she had one anymore). They were still enemies, she was just his prisoner: A trophy of his victory and a stark reminder for her that she failed to save her home.

"The meal was satisfactory." Kaguya stood up from the table suddenly. "I shall retire."

"Don't you want to talk with Ms. Smith?" Naruto asked.

"I have neither the need nor desire to converse with those below my station anymore than I have already." There was an edge to her voice as she left the room.

"Er…Okay?" Naruto was slightly taken aback by her sudden departure.

The rest of the group continued eating in an awkward silence, with the sole exception of Tio who happily ate her cake, seeming to enjoy every bite.

"So," Chichi cleared her throat. "I was wondering what agency you are part of?" She looked at Tio.

"Me?"

"That armor you were wearing doesn't look like it's from a civilian outfit." Chichi continued. "In my studies of police armaments I don't recall seeing any armor like that."

"Well being a member of MON has it benefits," Smith nodded.

"MON?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of it," Smith raised an eyebrow. "MON or Monster Operations: Neutralization is a special task force for when Liminals break the law. Normal police can't touch them due to the nature of the Exchange treaty so we needed a Liminal task force capable of dealing with such threats."

"Couldn't you just have Liminals in the police force?" Chichi asked.

"There's no reason why not," Smith conceded. "Although as a special agency, MON has some freedom to act as it sees fit." She smiled. "Which helps us avoid getting bogged down in red tape. As well as Tio here there's Manako, Doppel and Zombina. They are a small but effective team." Smith nodded happily. "Plus, they can fill in their own paperwork so that saves me a ton of work."

"I see," Chichi nodded.

"Thinking of applying?" Tio asked.

"No." Chichi shook her head. "As a special forces agent, Most of the work would be in secret, correct?"

"I guess so," Smith nodded. "MON doesn't really do much public work."

"I want to be a police officer so that everyone can see that Arachne aren't the scary monsters they appear to be, but people the same everyone else. I have to be seen publicly working to inspire other Liminal species to work hard to disprove the stereotypes."

"Huh," Smith waved her empty cup at Naruto who rolled his eyes and summoned a Kage Bunshin to get her another. "That's a noble goal. It'll take a lot of hard work and training to accomplish."

"I know." Chichi nodded. "And I'm prepared to give it my all."

"Don't worry there," Toph smirked. "I'll help you train. I'll get you some donuts and you can sit around on your fat ass eating them. Perfect cop training!"

"I would not expect one such as you to understand the nobility of a police officer." Chichi retorted, her cheeks coloring slightly at the mention of her large posterior.

"Still I have to admit that armor _is_ pretty badass," Toph leaned forward. "I'm guessing it's a custom fit?"

"Yes," Tio frowned. "It's so difficult to find clothes in my size. Just the other day I saw this really cute dress, but it was only in human sizes. I was so disappointed."

"I'm somewhat fortunate that my top half is fairly human shaped." Chichi nodded.

"I know that feeling," Naruto nodded. "Back home it was so hard for me to find an awesome orange sweatsuit! The only ones I could ever find were only for little kids not a growing young man like myself!"

"Somehow I don't think that your issue is as severe as Tio's," Smith shook her head.

"I don't get what all the fuss is about looking cute." Toph leaned forward, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on the table. "I'd much rather have something practical that doesn't hold me back in a fight."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to look presentable rather than like some… street gang member." Chichi scolded Toph.

"Jeez," Tio pouted. "There's nothing wrong with looking good you know?" She crossed her arms, unintentionally lifting her already impressive bust.

"Trying to say you need big tits to look good eh?!" Toph twitched.

"Breast size has nothing to do with anything." Chichi frowned.

"Of course you'd say that!" Toph stood on her chair. "You're looking down on us less developed girls! We'll see how much your tits count for when I mash your face up so bad you look like a Picarto painting!"

"Do you mean Picasso?" Smith ventured.

"Whatever!" Toph yelled. "Like I have time to waste remembering crappy painters and their names! I've got fights to… er… fight." She finished weakly before hyping herself up again. "Especially any of those bastards who judge people on whether they are cute or not!"

"Please calm yourself," Tio smiled at Toph. "Nectophry is cute as well. I meant no offence."

"I…" Toph sighed as Tio's warming aura enveloped her and sapped away her anger and energy leaving her feeling tired. "Whatever."

"Heh," Naruto shook his head. "You're pretty amazing. I don't suppose you'd consider moving in here?" ' _Her calming aura could potentially solve a lot of issues'_

' _ **Yeah it even affects Kaguya. That's pretty impressive.'**_ Kurama agreed.

"Oh my," Tio blushed shyly. "You're too kind."

"Hey," Smith pushed up her glasses and pulled a gun from her suit. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked.

"Trying to steal Tio? Do you know how much harder my job would be without her to keep the rest of those knuckleheads in line?!" She fired several tranquilizer darts at Naruto. "Stop trying to increase my workload!"

"Wow you'll do anything to get out of doing more work huh?" Naruto shook his head.

"Smith-san works very hard (most of the time)." Tio smiled. "I'm glad she's our liaison officer."

"Aw, thanks Tio," Smith smiled.

"You must be some sort of angel to see the good in Ms Smith. HEY STOP THAT!" Naruto cried out as Smith emptied the last of the tranquilizer darts into Naruto.

"I'll stop when you stop trying to seduce Tio from my task force!" Smith pulled the trigger until the gun clicked empty. "How are you still conscious?" Smith checked the cartridge. "I must have put enough tranq darts into you to knock out a full grown elephant."

"Well I feel fine." Naruto blinked as the darts failed to have any effect thanks to Kurama.

"Maybe the darts were defective." Smith glanced at her gun. "Are you 100% sure you're human?" She joked.

"Pretty sure I am," Naruto plucked the darts from his chest and arms. "Not that I see why it matters. Even if I was a Liminal it wouldn't make much difference right?"

"Well you say that," Ms. Smith smiled. "You see the law says that humans cannot harm Liminals and vice versa."

"The law clearly states this in Article…" Chichi started.

"We don't need to hear the exact wording, you damn copper." Toph grumbled.

"Chichi did mention that when Toph first attacked." Naruto nodded.

"You see the definition of harm is incredibly vague in the document, and it also covers sexual contact."

"What?" Naruto blinked.

"A human cannot have sex with a Liminal, nor any other sort of deeply intimate physical contact."

"Even kissing?" Naruto blinked. "What happens if the rules are broken?"

"Oh got your eye on one of your lovely guests?" Smith smirked. "Basically the offender would be sent to jail and the exchange student sent back to their own country in disgrace."

"That's bullshit!" Naruto slammed his clenched fist on the table.

"I don't get it." Toph smirked. "But you're clearly fired up boss. Let's go smash some skulls!"

"If two people fall in love, two adults who are perfectly capable of making their own decisions, what does it matter what species they are?" Naruto glared at Smith.

"Huh," She chuckled. "Wasn't expecting you to get so fired up. I was only joking about you having a soft spot for one of the girls, but now I am actually starting to wonder."

"It's not like that," Naruto shook his head. "Not that I'm saying the girls aren't attractive. I mean Chichi is an attractive woman, and Toph is too, if you like that kind of girl."

"I'm flattered but in all honestly I'd rather fight you than have sex with you." Toph remarked bluntly.

"As aforementioned it would be improper for any relationship to bloom between us other than that of a Handler and his guest." Chichi seemed a little flustered. "Though I will admit it is… odd to hear a human call one of my people attractive."

"Well," Smith chuckled. "It seems I have nothing to worry about then. I'd best be headed back to the office to finalize all of the paperwork for the transfer. Good luck," Smith chuckled as Naruto helped Tio carry her armor to the transport. "I guess I'll see you soon."

"I'd be surprised if you weren't here for breakfast." Naruto deadpanned.

"Well, if you are offering..."

"I wasn't, not that I'm expecting that to stop you." Naruto shook his head.

"Here you go." Tio lifted a small and tattered sports bag out of the back of the van.

"What the hell is this?" Naruto scowled.

"It's Nectophry's personal effects." Tio happily handed the bag to Naruto.

"Personal effects?" Naruto glanced at the bag that had clearly seen better days. "Like her clothes and stuff?"

"I think it's mostly chest bindings and her bokken." Tio explained.

"She doesn't have a change of clothes?" Naruto blinked. "I mean, I don't either but I exactly wasn't expecting to end up here."

"You only have one outfit?" Tio clapped her hands together. "You should go on a shopping trip."

"That reminds me, our supplies are running a little low." He glanced at Ms. Smith, who was talking to the driver. "Could you do something about that?"

"Oh?" Smith blinked. "Well, I guess I can issue you a permit to go into the city."

"Permit?"

"You're technically hosting dangerous Liminals, so you need special permission to go into an urban area with them." Smith frowned. "But the permit is a pain to sort out. I could just take you and Kaguya shopping since you don't need permit for her. I'll see what I can do," Smith waved dismissively.

"Thanks," Naruto stepped back and watched them get into the van and drive away. "Another day over and done with."

' _ **Hard to believe this is only the second day in this world, isn't it?'**_

' _Yeah…'_

"Handler-san," Chichi approached him. "If it is okay, I shall retire for the night."

"Of course," Naruto smiled at her. "You don't need to ask me permission. Plus you can just call me Naruto, you know?"

"That would not be showing you the respect you are due, as per Article…"

"I get it," Naruto shook his head. "I guess I could order you to call me Naruto, but if you don't want to I won't force it. Good night." He nodded to Chichi who made her way to her room.

"So where am I sleeping boss?" Toph asked as Naruto walked back into the kitchen.

"Oh right," Naruto frowned. "Well there's only the one bedroom that I recently finished... " _'I was going to take it myself but I guess it wouldn't hurt to let Toph have it.'_

' _ **If you keep this up you'll fill up all the rooms in this place and still not have a bedroom.'**_

' _Still… At least it'll be lively.'_

' _ **That's one way of looking at it I suppose.'**_ Kurama chuckled.

"Huh," Toph walked into the indicated room. "A little bare isn't it boss?"

"Well feel free to personalize it."

"Huh," Toph dived on the bed. "Damn I missed a proper bed!"

"Didn't you have one back at your old host's house."

"Nah, I didn't even have a futon, just some pillows and a blanket." Toph scowled. "Never mind my own room."

"Here," Naruto handed over the sports bag. "Tio said these are your effects."

"Awesome," Toph snatched the bag and tossed its contents over the floor into a heap. There were several scuffed hats and trousers as well as several rolls of bandages. "Found it!" Toph declared happily as she pulled a bokken from the mess and swung it through the air a few times.

"Good night," Naruto chuckled as he shook his head. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure boss." Toph tossed the empty bag on top of her pile of clothes as Naruto left the room. On his way back towards the kitchen, he paused slightly outside Kaguya's door.

' _Maybe I should say something to her.'_

' _ **Like what?'**_

' _Er… I don't know. Maybe ask her if she is alright?'_

' _ **Knowing her, she'd probably take that as you pitying her and would only get even more upset with you. I'd advise leaving her alone to cool down a little.'**_

' _Okay…'_ Naruto carried on walking down the hallway, unaware of Kaguya's own turmoil in her room.

Part of her was ashamed of her actions. As a noble she should have behaved with more dignity rather than leave the room like some sort of sullen child. She wasn't even entirely sure why she had left.

She rolled over in her bed as she heard Naruto walk downstairs.

"Once again he relegates himself to the kitchen and gives up a warm bed to some freeloader." Kaguya frowned. "He always puts others ahead of himself huh? What an idiot." She grumbled to the small group of bunnies laid atop of the duvet. "Is that why he annoys me so much?" She pondered. "Is it because he always acts like some sort of saint when I know the truth? That he's selfish and puts his own desires before the peace of the world we once knew? Or maybe he is aware of this and this kindness of his is purely an attempt to redeem himself."

One of the rabbit's nose twitched.

"Or maybe he truly thinks he was doing what was best? I suppose what's done is done and he is suffering as well as I. Certainly not to my degree, though," She muttered darkly as she looked at her empty Kimono sleeve. "We will see what the morning brings," Kaguya looked out of the window. "And I will apologize. It is my duty as a noble to shape him into a better person." She decided as she finally settled down in her bed. "It won't be easy," She mumbled sleepily. "But nothing worth doing ever is."

* * *

 _Chichi's Room_

Kaguya was not the only one who was deep in thought. As Chichi laid in her hammock, wearing a long shirt that was specially designed to cover everything that modesty demanded with her book on famous police incidents in hand, she found herself unable to focus on the Gangland slaying of police officers in Okinawa during 1990. Her mind was too busy thinking over Naruto's earlier words.

' _A human finding an Arachne attractive.'_ Chichi frowned softly. _'I never thought I would hear that. I mean, maybe some of us are attractive to humans on our top half but our abdomen and legs aren't really that appealing to humans.'_ She glanced at her arachnid half. _'But Handler-san didn't even mention them. Maybe there are some humans who can see past physical appearances.'_

Chichi found herself smiling softly. This development filled her with hope. _'If there are more people that can see me for me then maybe, just maybe, this exchange program will help others see Liminals for who they are, not what they are.'_ Chichi put the book neatly on her table.

There was a crashing noise from next door, where Chichi assumed Toph was staying. _'Maybe… Maybe I'm just as guilty though. I haven't exactly tried to get along with Toph. For Handler-san's sake I'd best make peace with her.'_

Chichi clambered out of her hammock and made her way towards the room that she had heard Naruto enter with Toph and knocked politely.

"What is it?" Toph yelled.

"It's Chichi," She took a deep breath. "I wish to apologize for my earlier behavior."

"Fine come in then," Toph grumbled.

"I just wanted to say…" Chichi froze. "What happened here? Did someone break into this room before you moved in?"

"Eh?" Toph looked around. "What's the issue?"

"Your room is a bomb site!" There were clothes strewn everywhere. All of her drawers were open, some even completely ripped out of the cabinet, and there were slash marks on the wallpaper.

"It looks alright to me." Toph frowned. "Added a bit of character to the room while I was training I guess but nothing major."

"I… You did this? You've barely been in this room twelve minutes!" Chichi blinked. "How can you live in such a messy room?"

"Quite easily," Toph dived onto her bed.

"I…" Chichi opened her mouth but found herself lost for words.

"Weren't you going to apologize?" Toph prompted.

"I… I am sorry for acting hostile earlier." Chichi forced out. "But I would recommend cleaning this room."

"Like hell I will," Toph snorted. "It's my room and the boss said I am free to personalize it how I like."

"But if you keep it like this you'll attract rodents and then it becomes everyone's problem."

"More like everyone else's problem," Toph remarked. "I wouldn't mind a rat pet."

"...I am leaving before I say something I might regret." Chichi turned to leave the room

"Whatever you say copper," Toph threw her hat on the floor and tossed her jacket to one side where it fell in a crumpled heap.

It took all of Chichi's self control to not react and just leave the bombsite and return to her pristine room. It would be a challenge to deal with Toph but she remembered what Naruto said earlier. This would be good practice for her future career as a police woman. Picking up a book marked 'Interacting With the Public; An Officer's Guidebook' Chichi clambered back into her bed and read until she drifted to sleep, her dreams full of delinquent toads committing crimes as she desperately tried to arrest them all.

* * *

 _Tio's Apartment_

"I'm home!" Tio called out as she entered her room, smiling as she saw her huge collection of cute plush animals waiting for her on her large pink bed. As would be expected from a girl who loved girly things, her room was bright pink, with her bed looking like that of a princess, complete with frilly curtains surrounding it. She walked over to her phone to see a flashing red light. "Oh… I wonder who called?" She picked it up and checked her missed calls. "Oh, it was someone in the office." She pressed redial and laid back on her bed, hugging the nearest plush animal to her generous chest as she waited for a voice on the other end of the line.

"About damn time!" Zombina's frustrated voice sounded over the phone. "Don't you answer your mobile?!"

"This is my home phone." Tio pointed out.

"Huh? Ah damnit! Smith-san must have entered your work number under a different one so I couldn't get in contact with you until you finished your mission." Zombina groaned.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah! I'm stuck in the office at freaking half past eight!" Zombina whined. "Smith-san left all her paperwork for us to do!"

"Us?"

"That's right, Manako and Doppel are here as well." Zombina grumbled. "I'll bet while we were working our asses off you were out having fun weren't you! I'll bet you got into a massive fight!"

"Well there was a fight," Tio tilted her head.

"There was?! Damn it, how do I always miss the fun jobs?"

"Maybe because Smith-san is fed up with filing requisition forms whenever your armor gets shot to high hell?" Doppel's voice could be heard through the phone line.

"That's no excuse!" Zombina whined. "I'll bet you enjoyed yourself didn't you?! Getting to fight that Toad-Type again!"

"There were cute bunnies," Tio hugged the plush animal to her chest. "I got to hug some!"

"Eh?" Zombina sounded confused. "There was a fight and you were too busy hugging bunny rabbits?! What? No, I'm not done talking. Give me the phone back!"

"Er… Hello?" Manako's soft voice replaced Zombina's, although she could be heard complaining loudly in the background.

"Hi!" Tio rolled over on the bed.

"Hello," Manako responded quietly. "I er… Zombina-chan was wondering what else happened on the mission."

"I'll bet she threw that transport at the Toad-Type!" Zombina could be heard in the background.

"Most definitely. Did you see the state it was in when it returned?" Doppel's voice had a teasing edge to it.

"No I… wait how did you?"

"Oh you and Manako seemed so focused on your work, so I decided to take a brief stroll to stretch my legs. I saw it return but unfortunately Smith-san wasn't in it."

"Damn it!"

"Er… Did you hear that?" Manako asked over the phone.

"Jeez," Tio pouted as she sat up on her bed. "I didn't throw the transport. I didn't even throw a punch. Naruto-san returned and the fight just stopped."

"I was looking at the maps and wondering why it took so long?" Manako asked. "Were there a lot of difficulties?"

"Not really," Tio smiled happily. "We all had a meal together! It was pretty fun. There were these really cute little cakes that were delicious! Then we talked about clothes a little."

"Ah… I guess you wouldn't want me there…" Manako went quiet.

"That's not true," Tio assured the shy Monoeye.

"I mean… You always send me far away when you're fighting."

"That's because you're a sniper."

"Yeah!" Zombina could be heard over the phone. "That's why I keep telling you to saw the barrels off the end of the rifles and dual wield them. Then you can charge in with me and Tio! It would look so badass. I'd be spraying bullets everywhere, you'd be dropping big targets like they were nothing and Tio would throw a tank at someone…"

"But my arms would fall off from the recoil." Manako weakly protested.

"Here give me the phone," Doppel's voice became clearer. "So you had a meal with this new handler huh?"

"That's right. He made it himself!"

"Oh he did huh? Sounds like he was pulling out all the stops."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe he's a breasts kind of guy," Doppel sounded amused. "He was probably trying to seduce you."

"I don't think Naruto-san is that kind of person." Tio replied honestly. "He seems to be a genuinely nice person."

"Oh? You know him that well huh? Must have been a very… intimate meal."

"Jeez," Tio puffed her cheeks out, not that Doppel could see it. "It wasn't like that. There was Smith-san and the Toad-Type Bullywug and there was also a Long Legs-Type Arachne and… er… A kind of bunny type I think?"

"Oh that'd be that Kaguya one right?" Doppel sounded somewhat disappointed that her teasing hadn't triggered any reactions worth noting.

"Right."

"Still do you think that handler is cute?"

"Cute?" Tio tilted her head. "I don't know. He's kind of handsome I guess?"

"Oh?" Doppel sounded interested. "So maybe you're the one who likes him then."

"Jeez this was the first time we spoke together! He didn't even know I was a girl until today. He seems nice enough, but I wouldn't say there are any feelings between us."

"How tragic." Doppel sighed dramatically.

"Good bye Doppel-chan." Tio sighed as she hung up and laid down on her bed, staring at ceiling, hugging the plush animal to her chest. _'Although… He did ask me to live with him a few times. Maybe he does have a crush on me? I'll have to let him down gently.'_ She nodded to herself before getting out of bed to get showered and ready for sleep.

* * *

 _At MON's Office_

"Aw… she hung up." Doppel sighed as she handed the phone to Manako.

"Wait, did you tell her to get in here to help us?!" Zombina asked.

"Oh right… That's why we rang her in the first place wasn't it? My bad."

The three MON girls looked at the intimidating pile of paperwork.

"It appears she disconnected her phone." Manako frowned. _'Maybe she really didn't want to talk to me again…'_

"Damn it all!" Zombina wailed. "Damn that Smith for setting us up like this and damn that Tio for having a perfectly good reason for not being here!"

"It isn't as if you can die from overworking," Doppel pointed out. "It's me and Manako who should be complaining."

"...Just because I can't die from exhaustion doesn't mean she can work me to the bone. I'm a zombie not a skeleton damn it!" Zombina slumped in her chair.

"Oh I just got a message from Smith-san." Manako glanced at the phone.

"Is it 'You guys can take tomorrow off as thanks'?" Zombina asked hopefully.

"'Don't forget that the registration forms are to be submitted by midnight. Have fun :P.'" Manako read aloud.

"SMITH!" Zombina roared in anguish.

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the third chapter and the second day!**

 **Yeah, the summoning jutsu was a red herring. All it did was make a big cloud of smoke at a convenient time. I thought it would be fun. Now on to explain Toph's creation origin. The idea for Toph came when I realized that Naruto was going to need to try to summon one of the toads at some point and I didn't want to wait too long or for it to actually work, but I wanted to use it somehow. So I went to the wiki and looked for a frog or toad monster girl and came across the Bullywug. The Bullywug was clearly more frog-like than toad, so I decided to make a toad variant. There was also a line on the page that said they were "very aggressive and territorial" and the first thing that came to my mind was gangs. So I made Toph a bancho (I know female delinquent bosses are usually sukeban, but I liked the bancho style better). It was actually pure coincidence that it makes her a good foil for Chichi. After that I decided on her appearance. That reminds me, there's a new commission of another future girl on my deviantart and I plan to commission one of Toph next.**

 **Now on to a bit of Toph's biology. Those "bumps" on the back of Toph's neck are parotoid glands, which are the same things on toads that appear to be warts. She also has some on her shoulders. Similar to a toad's, they release a toxin when stressed. If ingested, this toxin acts a as a hallucinogen. In the story, it is sold on the black market as an illegal drug. Unlike frogs or normal Bullywugs, Toph has dry skin.**

 **Now, onto the expected questions.**

 **Q: Why is Kaguya eating so many carrots lately? Are you just trying to make her more bunny like?**

 **A: Yes and no. It does help her to be more bunny like, but I have an actual reason for it that'll be explained in a few chapters.**

 **Q: Why did Naruto say sweatsuit? He always wears a jumpsuit.**

 **A: No, Naruto always wears a sweatsuit. Most fanfictions call it a jumpsuit, but it isn't one. A jumpsuit is a single piece of clothing, but Naruto's sweatsuit is two separate pieces of clothing that act as a set.**

 **Q: Where are those side characters you promised? All we've been getting is MON and your OC.**

 **A: They're a ways off, to be honest. No farm characters can be assigned to Naruto until he can prove he can actually teach people something by getting his own farm running and the other side characters haven't caused any trouble yet. Just be patient.**

 **Q: Why is Kaguya so bitchy and why is Naruto putting up with it?**

 **A: I've been getting this question a lot. It's barely been two days since they fought each other and Kaguya and Naruto are not exactly on the best of terms at the moment. Kaguya is spiteful of Naruto and in a completely unfamiliar environment. She'll get better with time and character development, but it's not something that can be rushed. That's just bad writing. Naruto puts up with her because A. He may need her to get back B. He feels responsible for her and C. He knows she's pretty much all bark and no bite without her powers. There is a limit to his patience though, so if things don't get better he may blow up at her at some point. You may have noticed that a little bit of it leaked through this chapter. It's going to take time for them to have any kind of really friendly relationship. But hey, what's a rom-com without relationship problems?**

 **Q: Will this story stay a rom-com forever? I want more action!**

 **A: There will be more action oriented arcs down the road, but it will be quite awhile, so you'll just have to wait.**

 **Q: What was that this rustling the bushes that Toph encountered?**

 **A: That's...a secret. It'll make sense in a few chapters.**

 **Q: Why does Naruto mention Han?**

 **A: Because Han is about the same height as Tio. Han is 228 cm and Tio is 227 cm.**

 **Q: How did Naruto and Kaguya not realize Tio was a girl if Smith and Toph told them what happened?**

 **A: Because the flashback was told from a third person perspective so that you, the reader knows exactly what happened. The version that's being told to Naruto and Kaguya is being told from the perspective of those two. Ms Smith told the first part of the story and intentionally avoided mentioning Tio's gender because she wanted to see the looks on their faces later. She mentions Tio's gender right before she walks in later because she knew they wouldn't have time to come to terms with it before they actually saw her.**

 **Q: Why didn't the tranquilizer darts affect Naruto if Sakura's sleeping poison did after Team 7 confronted Sasuke after he fought Danzo?**

 **A: Because now that he and Naruto are friends and there's no seal in the way, Kurama can and will actively filter poisons and heal minor injuries, barring anything cutting off the flow of chakra or him just being too mad a Naruto for whatever reason to heal the stuff that isn't life threatening.**

 **Q: What's "chuunibyou"?**

 **A: It basically translates to "middle school syndrome". It means someone who speaks like they're in a video game or some epic novel or a manga/anime or something like that. It's what Lala is, actually.**

 **See ya next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys and gals! Chapter 4 is here! It was actually finish two days ago, but I didn't get around to editing it until today. I should probably let you know how the process for writing a chapter works between me and Drake. First, I brainstorm some ideas for the chapter's plot, some very specific and some rather vague, with Drake throwing in some ideas of his own. If a chapter will end up needing a new character, it's my job to design that character. After we've decided on a basic plotline for the chapter, Drake writes up a more detailed plan, and I go through and say if something needs to be changed or if something contradicts Naruto's, Monster Musume, or our continuity. After that, we spend several days working on the actual chapter through Google Docs, Drake doing the actual writing by expanding the plan into an actual narrative. This can often diverge from the original plan and it's my job during this period to see if anything needs to be changed before the scene goes too far in one direction as well as come up with any new necessary information and ideas. When that's done, I go through and edit the chapter, not only spelling and grammar checking, formatting, and altering British English to American English, but also tweaking, rewording, and adding onto lines that either don't feel quite right or I feel could be improved. Then I add the author's note and upload it. That's pretty much the entire process.**

 **Oh yes, before I forget, I payed for a commission of Toph, but it isn't done yet. I'll update my profile when it is. The artist is different from the last one, since my previous artist, nextARTIST, had too many real life commitments to work on commissions. The new artist is Dragonith, who you may have heard of from his absolutely amazing Pokemon fusions fan art.**

 **You may notice a bit of a change in the way Toph talks in this chapter, but it's meant to help convey how she would actually sound. I'm going to go back and edit Chapter 3 and the little bit of dialogue at the end of 2 later to help reflect this. Also, this is the last time I'll mention this up here, as it's going to be there every chapter, but the "expected questions" section is at the bottom again. Anyway, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The sun had yet to rise when Naruto was awoken by the sounds of chirping birds. With a tired yawn, he sat up on the couch he had slept on and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Lazily reaching out, he turned on a lamp that illuminated the kitchen where he had been sleeping. While not his first choice, he had given Toph the last of the furnished bedrooms and now Naruto found himself without another room with a bed or access to more usable furniture. All he had was a beat up couch that he had scavenged from one of the barns, but it would do until he got around to getting more furniture. He briefly pondered making some more himself, remembering doing so once or twice when on some D-rank missions, but that was a long time ago and he wasn't happy about cutting down any more trees in the forest for the raw materials. Besides he had slept on less comfortable things than an old sofa.

' _ **Morning.'**_ Kurama greeted him. _**'What's the plan for today?'**_

' _I guess I'll try and finish restoring the farm.'_ Naruto stretched out and headed over to the window, looking at the still dark landscape, the sun's light only just starting to illuminate the horizon. _'Then… I guess It's back to the drawing board.'_

' _ **Drawing board?'**_

' _I still have to figure out a way to get back home.'_ Naruto washed his face in the kitchen sink and shook himself up to shake off the urge to go back to sleep. _'Since summoning the toads didn't work, I'll have to approach this from another direction,;_

' _ **Well I suppose the 'easy' way would be to find a way to unseal Kaguya so she gets her powers back but…'**_

' _Yeah,"_ Naruto nodded glumly, _'Even if I knew how to do that, there's no telling what Kaguya would do if she had her powers restored.'_

' _ **The other way is to get her to teach you how to create a portal, if it's even possible for you to learn that.'**_

' _It's probably not.'_ Naruto shook his head. _'Since Kaguya doesn't have any chakra coils, it isn't as if I could just transfer enough chakra to her to open a portal.'_

' _ **True, without any coils, the chakra would just disperse randomly. It's one of the few advantages you have over her. For better or for worse, Kaguya has lost the ability to manipulate chakra as far as we can tell. Heck, even I'm in a better situation than her and I'm sealed inside you."**_

' _You know you love me fuzzball.'_

' _ **Ha! It's too early to make me laugh like that brat.'**_

Naruto merely shook his head as he picked up his clothes and got dressed before heading outside, the chilly morning air refreshing him.

"I have so much work to do," Naruto mumbled as he took in the ruined fields and barns. It was clear the farm had been abandoned for some time, although that did lead Naruto to wonder why it was abandoned and how it came into the possession of Ms. Smith and the Exchange program.

' _ **Why bother if you're just going to leave?'**_

' _I already told you,'_ Naruto shook his head as the sun slowly started to creep above the horizon, _'Even after I leave the girls will still need a place to live. I might as well get this place up and running for them.'_

' _ **That so?'**_ Kurama chuckled to himself as Naruto watched the sun rising.

"Yosh!" Naruto felt pumped up. "I have a great feeling about today."

' _ **Oh? Why's that?'**_

' _I don't know… I just feel like today's going to be good.'_ He mentally replied before heading back into the house. He headed up to the bedrooms, stopped outside of Toph's room, and proceeded to knock on her door.

"Wha?" A clearly sleepy voice mumbled.

"It's me," Naruto cleared his throat.

"Oh… come in…" Toph mumbled and Naruto stepped into the room before freezing at the sight before him. _'W-what the hell? She's been in here less than 12 hours. How the hell has she turned the room into a disaster area?!'_

' _ **Still sure today's going to be a good day?'**_ Kurama seemed amused.

' _Y-yeah!'_ Naruto shook off his shock and turned to the bed. The duvet was on the floor next to it and the bedsheet was screwed up in one corner while Toph was laid half on of the bed on her back with her left arm and leg off of the side. Her hat was on a bed post revealing her blonde hair was still tied up in a ponytail, although judging by the discoloration of her roots, blonde was probably not her natural color. All she was wearing were her trousers, with her modest chest open to the air, the bindings that had been covering her breasts the day before thrown over the headboard. Naruto quickly averted his eyes. _'Huh, they appear to be a little bigger than Sakura-chan's now that they're unbound.'_

' _ **Was this the good thing you were expecting?'**_

' _W-what? No of course not!'_ Naruto focused on a strange slash mark on the wall. "Good morning."

"Morning'" Toph rolled off of the bed and landed on a pile of clothes. "Whatcha want boss?" She groggily asked.

"I guess I'm here to tell you I'm going to start on breakfast." He fidgeted as Toph struggled to her feet.

"'Kay." She mumbled as she sat on the bed and reached out to grab her bindings, before falling face first back onto the bed.

"What do you want to… oh," Naruto shook his head as Toph snored noisily."I guess I'll leave you to your dreams then." He started to leave, but figured he would tidy the room up a bit first. When he lifted up her jacket, he saw a small rat with a collar staring at him. He just dropped the coat and headed straight out of the room.

' _ **Was that a…'**_

' _I didn't see anything that would ruin my mood.'_ Naruto thought back stubbornly.

' _ **Pretty sure that was a rat.'**_

' _I can't hear you!"_ Naruto shut the door softly yet quickly, before moving on to the next room and knocking.

"You may enter Handler-san."

"Good morning Chichi," Naruto opened the door to her room. In direct contrast to Toph's room, Chichi's was still in the same pristine condition it had been when she first moved in. Only a few books on the desk and the clothes in the wardrobe gave any indication that the room was lived in. "Heh, working hard already?"

The Arachne was wearing a long nightshirt that fell below her humanoid waist and was designed to continue over her arachnid lower half. Currently she was at her desk reading a book and making notes. She brushed a strand of her blond hair from her eyes and turned to face Naruto.

"This is the amount of dedication expected of a police cadet." Chichi stated. "The police don't accept just anybody into their ranks. A recruit must be a living embodiment of the law." She stated proudly.

"Sounds tough," Naruto smiled. "But I guess nothing worth doing is easy."

"Indeed," Chichi placed a bookmark in the book. "May I ask why you're here?"

"Oh right." Naruto laughed. "Just letting you know that I'll be starting on breakfast soon."

"I see," Chichi nodded her head. "I thank you for the update. I shall be down momentarily. I just need to get changed."

"Of course," Naruto nodded as he left Chichi's room. _'For her love of laws, she's a pretty easy person to get along with. At least she respects me.'_

' _ **I suppose someone in this house has to.'**_

' _You know you respect me.'_

' _ **I wouldn't say 'respect' persay.'**_

Naruto chuckled as he knocked on the final door. After a few moments without a response he knocked a little harder, but heard nothing. _'Crap… Do you think she left? She was in a bad mood last night.'_

' _ **...Would this be the good thing?'**_

' _Kurama!'_ Naruto went to push open the door…

* * *

 _Several minutes earlier_

The sound of Naruto knocking on Toph's door roused Kaguya from her slumber. Groggily, she lifted herself out of her bed and, slowly stepped between the rabbits that were sleeping in her room, made her way to her kimono, which was hanging in her closet. The early morning chill was made all the more prominent by her lack of clothing, although seeing as she was currently only in possession of one outfit, Kaguya's nudity was to be expected. It would be better to be naked when alone than scruffy when in the presence of her social lessers. That and the only male in the household that wasn't a rabbit, was her servant and therefore considered genderless to her. At least she tried to tell herself that, but the idea of Naruto assisting her dress and bathe her naked body caused her to feel disturbed in her stomach.

Her room was tidy (besides the rabbits) although this was partially due to the fact that she had nothing to decorate the room with. It still didn't feel like a home to the former rabbit goddess. She heard Naruto's voice as he talked to someone but tuned him out.

"What is that infernal servant doing making such noise at this ungodly hour?" She grumbled as she reached the closet and grabbed her kimono. Gazing at it sadly, she noticed it was beginning to get a little frayed and she doubted that anyone in the house had the expertise required to fix it. She paused, amused at the thought of fixing the dress rather than just get another, as she would have done previously.

Maybe it was because this dress was the last reminder of her home, the land she had left, but it felt wrong to think about throwing it away. She looked at the fabric off the sleeve where the silver-haired one had struck her with his lightning technique. While the material was singed, it was mostly undamaged by the attack. Gently stroking the material, Kaguya decided to get dressed. She heard Naruto knock on the next door, the Vulgar Spider's if Kaguya remembered their room placements correctly, and slipped into her kimono, the slightly damaged sleeve hanging loose.

Sitting on the bed she lifted the kimono to show her bare ankles as she slipped on her socks. _'I should really apologize to my servant for my behavior yesterday. It was unfitting of one of my breeding. Although as my servant, he would do well to pay better attention to my desires. He should have seen that I was annoyed and sought to remedy the situation although…'_ Kaguya paused. _'Why was I so annoyed? Was it the ogre woman? Yes. That must have been it. Seeing the one who treated me so poorly being favored by my servant was bound to annoy me. Still I must remind myself that he is still new to the role of servant. He will learn.'_

Kaguya was so deep in her own thoughts she was completely oblivious to Naruto's knocks and looked around in shock as Naruto walked into the room.

"Ah Kaguya you're still here," Naruto let out a sigh of relief, although her response was unanticipated.

"W-w-what are you doing?!" Kaguya stammered as she quickly dropped her kimono to cover her ankles. "You perverted servant!" She yelled as she slapped him. Despite her lack of power, her feminine fury caused Naruto to stagger backwards from the blow, although it was more from the shock of the unexpected blow than the pain he felt.

"I'm sorry?" Naruto blinked as Chichi quickly ran into the room.

"What's going on here?!" She was holding a baton and some handcuffs and looking between the confused Naruto and the horrified Kaguya.

"This pervert burst into my room while I was still in a state of undress!"

"I literally walked in a few seconds earlier," Naruto blinked. "She is just as dressed now as she was then." He grumbled as he rubbed his cheek.

"My calves were on display!" Kaguya looked away, her pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment..

"...How old are you?" Chichi blinked. "Legs haven't been considered unsuitable for public viewing for quite some time."

"How fortunate for you," Kaguya growled. "I don't know why I'm surprised that such a vulgar creature such as yourself fails to understand common decency."

"How can you consider me vulgar when you've met that toad delinquent." Chichi frowned.

"I don't get whatcha bitching about." Toph growled as she walked into the room, still completely topless and balancing her bokken on her shoulder. "But it woke me up so I'm gonna have to crack some skulls!"

"Are you trying to violate public decency laws?!" Chichi frowned at the half naked toad.

"Get bent copper," Toph spat. "This ain't the time I usually wake up. Besides, why should I be ashamed of my body? Only reason I wear those bindings is 'cause getting busted for nudity would be a punk-ass way to go down. I'm gonna go down like a boss!"

"How slothful," Kaguya remarked, still refusing to look in Toph's direction. "Although I suppose it is to be expected of a child. They never like waking up."

"Child? Ya got a problem with me eh?!"

"Oh sorry," Kaguya didn't sound sorry at all. "I figured with that body you were a child."

"Fight me!" Toph yelled as she started towards Kaguya but was held back by Naruto and Chichi

"Oh dear, throwing a tantrum like a child." Kaguya sighed dramatically.

"I'm gonna kill her! Let me at her!" Toph flailed at Kaguya.

"Alright that's enough," Naruto scowled. "We're having breakfast in ten minutes. You can go back to trying to kill each other later."

"Very well," Kaguya frowned. "If you would care to leave the room so I can get dressed without your lecherous gaze upon my noble form. Not that I can blame you, I suppose. I have always attracted such bewitched gazes. Consider it a privilege that you got a chance to see so much of me, as it will not happen again."

"Why thank you for the honor of seeing your ankle." Naruto deadpanned as he lead Toph from the room.

"I'm gonna kill her." Toph grumbled sleepily. "But first… back to sleep."

"You might as well stay awake now." Chichi frowned as she followed Naruto. "Idleness is a rust that affects the metal of minds. I would imagine you would want to preserve what little mental capacity has not been beaten out of your skull."

"...I'm gonna kill you after her…" Toph complained as she lead to the kitchen,

' _ **So… still sure today is going to be a good day?'**_ Kurama snorted with laughter.

 _Later On_

Breakfast was a relatively tame affair, with Naruto and the girls sitting together at the table and not much being said.

Kaguya was intently staring at her breakfast, a bowl of some strange flakes that were surprisingly tasty, especially when drenched in the milk. While there was little about this strange new world that endeared her, this strange 'cereal' was definitely a good thing.

Chichi was calmly eating her meal, somewhat amused by the rate at which Kaguya was eating yet equally impressed that she was still carrying herself with a noble bearing. It must have been a skill drilled into her at a young age, Chichi concluded.

Toph was struggling to stay awake. She was leaning on her hand and swaying dangerously, her eyes struggling to keep themselves open. Her chest bindings were barely hanging on, Toph having been far too tired to put them on tightly.

' _Maybe next time I'll just let Toph sleep in.'_

' _ **If you didn't wake her up then Chichi probably would have tried and that would be the worst idea since someone walked into a pub in Iwa and said 'Well the Yondaime Hokage was a pretty neat guy.''**_

' _Has that ever happened?'_

' _ **Possibly. Your species never struck me as particularly fluent in self-preservation. Your kind kept trying to defeat me after all.'**_

' _And they did eventually.'_

' _ **Meh, I just felt bad for you humans, dying so ridiculously quick so I let your first Hokage seal me in his wife. Your dad got lucky that I had something in my eye when he sealed my other half in you and me in him.'**_

' _You're a sore loser aren't you?'_ Naruto was snapped out of his mental conversation when Toph finally fell back to sleep and face planted on her plate, a slice of buttered toast stuck to her cheek as she woke back up.

"Truly you are lacking in any form of manners." Kaguya sighed sadly.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" She mumbled.

"You're really not a morning person are you?" Naruto shook his head.

"Nothing fun happens in the morning," Toph grumbled. "All the awesome stuff happens at night, ya know?"

"Only crimes and bad decisions happen at night." Chichi scowled.

"Like I said, that's when all the fun stuff happens." Toph smirked. "Like having a few drinks and painting the town red with the blood of any fools who try to mess with me!"

"Alcohol leads to impaired judgement that limits your effectiveness." Chichi frowned distastefully.

"Ha! I'd bet even _you_ would be kinda fun when wasted, but I'm guessing that government goon didn't send any alcohol?" Toph glanced at Naruto who shrugged.

"First of all, referring to Agent Smith in such an a way is in violation of Article…"

"God damn it, it's too early to deal with your crap!" Toph headbutted the table. "I just wanna go back to bed damn it."

"Secondly," Chichi frowned. "It's only just going on six o'clock and…"

"What, 6 AM?!" Toph groaned. "What tyrannical asshole wakes people up this early?!"

"For my training regimen, I'm always awake by 5 AM." Chichi remarked.

"We didn't really use time that much when I ruled. I just rise with the sun and sleep when I feel tired." Kaguya shrugged.

"I'm a ninja, I'm just programmed to be wide awake whenever I wake up. I can't go back to sleep." Naruto looked at Toph, "So I guess that makes you the odd one out."

"Really?" Toph didn't look convinced. "What kinda training do they send ya on to be able to do that then?"

"Well, it took Ero-sennin dumping a lot of cold water on me during our training trips to fully hammer that instinct into me."

"I know not what this Ero-sennin is," Kaguya remarked dryly. "But I fear that it's influence is responsible for so many of your failures as a servant. Such as trying to gaze upon my unguarded flesh." She blushed slightly, an image that actually caused Naruto some pause, so used to her angry gaze and otherwise indifferent body language. For a second Naruto remembered that she was a woman and not just the being that tried to trap his home in a never ending Genjutsu. Then she glared at him as if judging him and the image was dispelled.

"I… Well…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "As much as I want to argue that I didn't intend to see your calves, and even so I have seen a lot more of women before in some of the places that Ero-sennin liked to visit… I can't deny that he was the kind of guy who would instill such behavior in someone."

"Well fear not," Kaguya stood up. "Be grateful that I, Kaguya, shall bestow upon you a basic understanding of etiquette as I promised yesterday before your clone ran out of chakra."

"Ran out of… Oh… Yes." Naruto nodded. "That's totally what happened."

' _ **Didn't that clone commit suicide with a steak knife? I didn't get why it used the knife since it could just dispel itself…'**_

"As much as I would appreciate it," Naruto laughed weakly. "I have a lot of work that needs to be done to get this house up to your 'noble standards'."

"You are trying to flatter me," Kaguya narrowed her eyes before nodding. "As a servant should. You are starting to develop the bare minimum skill set to be considered a poor servant."

"Er… thanks?" Naruto turned to Chichi. "Do you have any plans today?"

"I was planning to have a morning jog if you would provide a clone to escort me as per Article 21-D subsection 2."

"We've been over this," Naruto chuckled, "Remember the results of our bet?"

"Ah," Chichi nodded. "Even so, I would appreciate the company on my jog."

"If you want company you could help me out in clearing the crap from the fields. People seem to have been dumping all sorts of junk in there. It might not be jogging, but there may be some heavy lifting. Plus only you and Toph will know what most of this stuff is anyway."

"If you wish for my assistance I am obligated to…"

"I'm not going to force you to help me," Naruto chuckled.

"I… I suppose I can jog later on." Chichi nodded.

"Great!" Naruto grinned. "And Toph can… fall asleep again." He sighed at the Toad-Type who was once again sleeping on her breakfast.

"Her laziness shall be dealt with." Kaguya frowned. "It occurs to me that despite my noble heritage, I have been lax in my work ethic."

"I thought nobles basically just sat around all day doing nothing but getting rich and fat," Naruto blinked. "At least that's what most of the noble's I met did." He paused. "Well except maybe Koyuki, she did a lot of running around for films."

"They... " Kaguya looked furious, even considering her usual angry look, "Then they were failing in their duties. A noble is gifted with wealth and a good quality of life that is true, but they also are burdened with responsibility. It is a sacred duty to repay those who work in your name, to protect and guide them."

"Huh," Naruto looked impressed. "Then why did you go all evil and try and enslave the entire world?"

"Pardon?" Chichi blinked.

"DId I just hear somethin' badass?!" Toph suddenly awoke, rubbing her breakfast from her face.

"I will not waste my time explaining something that would go straight over your head," Kaguya rubbed her forehead.

"Kaguya tried to brainwash everyone where we lived." Naruto summarized.

"Wait… Ya seriously tried that?" Toph grinned.

"How?" Chichi frowned.

"As I said, I will not waste my time explaining something that would go straight over your head." Kaguya repeated herself. "Let's just say the place I am from… It is not a peaceful one. I was so tired of seeing those I was sworn to protect killing each other over senseless things. My son's foolish attempts to make things better only made matters worse."

"Oh! So that's why you put up with it!" Chichi eyes widened with realisation.

"Eh?" Naruto looked confused.

"You're mother and son!"

"...WHAT?!" Naruto and Kaguya yelled in denial.

"You think this… this ill-bred rat is from womb?!" Kaguya looked part horrified, part enraged.

"You think something as awesome as me came from the bunny hag?!" Naruto merely looked confused.

"Oh, I was wrong," Chichi coughed awkwardly. "I apologize if my remarks caused any offence."

' _ **Technically speaking you are a descendant of her grandson so… She kind of is your great-great-great-great-great-'**_

' _I get it Kurama.'_

' _ **-great-great-great-'**_

' _You're not going to stop are you?'_ Naruto sighed as Kurama continued.

"Getting back to my story, lest the Vulgar Spider wishes to cast any further aspersions on my character," She glared at Chichi who bowed her head and muttered another apology, "Where was I? Oh yes my son... Hagoromo. I always thought I was a good mother, I made sure they never wanted for anything."

"They?" Chichi interrupted.

"My two sons, Hagoromo and Homura," Kaguya sighed wistfully, a sad smile on her face. "It was not easy, balancing my duties against raising my children, but I did my best." Her face darkened suddenly. "But clearly somewhere I went wrong and Hagoromo… He rebelled against me." She closed her eyes. "He used the very gift I had given him to try and ruin my plan to protect everyone. So as a good mother does, when a child cannot play with a toy sensibly, you take it away from them." She opened her eyes. "But he resisted… And ultimately he locked me away, dooming the world to fall into eternal war."

"The world?" Toph snorted, "Being a tad dramatic aren't ya?"

"She means where we came from," Naruto explained, not wanting to go into the whole travelling between dimensions thing.

"But I had a backup plan that saw me released from my confinement and free to save the world again. But once more… I was denied." She glared at Naruto. "But this time rather than be sealed away… I was exiled and stipped of my power... amongst other things." She touched the empty sleeve on her kimono.

"If it counts for anything I was trying to seal you rather than this," Naruto offered. "I didn't want to get… exiled as well."

"Oh, so that's why you are so hostile to one another," Chichi nodded. "But I don't understand why you would oppose her from saving the world?"

"Because she wasn't, at least not in the right way." Naruto shook his head. "She basically wanted to trap everyone in a never ending dream by using… well I guess when I called it brainwashing I wasn't too far from the truth. It was a powerful genjutsu."

"Genjutsu?" Chichi frowned. "What's that?"

"Basically a ninja illusion," Naruto ignored Kaguya's snort of disapproval.

"Can ya do that?" Toph frowned.

"I can make thousands of solid clones of myself, yet you have difficulty believing she could put you in a never ending dream?"

"Point taken," Toph crossed her arms.

"So a false peace then?" Chichi asked.

"Yes!" Naruto looked at Kaguya, "See! She gets it! I don't want eternal war no more than you, but your peace… It wouldn't have truly been peace."

"And your idea of peace is better?" Kaguya shook her head sadly. "I have seen enough of humanity to know the best case scenario for your peace would be but a few generations. Unless you planned to live forever and make people behave themselves."

"If I did that I'd probably go mad from all of the… oh… Oh!" Naruto looked at Kaguya. "Oh!"

"What is it? Have you overloaded your brain with thinking?" Kaguya remarked.

"I think… I think I get it now. It must have been so frustrating. No matter what you did you just couldn't stop people being people. I mean Sasuke annoys the hell out of me with his stubbornness sometimes."

' _ **-great-great- Wait, are you calling someone else stubborn? Great-great-'**_

"Having to witness people making the same mistakes and not being able to talk them out of it… I guess I would want to force them to act differently." Naruto smiled at Kaguya. "God knows that it would have made things so much easier."

"I severely doubt you can understand." Kaguya shook her head. "Although it does appear you have made some sort of a breakthrough. Maybe you are not beyond redemption."

"I was thinking the same thing about you." Naruto chuckled.

"I don't really get what you're all talking about but… I guess it doesn't really matter to me." Toph frowned. "That wasn't as badass I was hoping for."

"I turned into a giant fox and launched an attack that could level an entire mountain range." Naruto deadpanned.

"...Badass…" Toph nodded as she actually started to eat her breakfast.

"Well," Chichi finished her breakfast. "I suppose we should make a start on that field now."

"Yeah," Naruto got up. "I'll have a clone deal with the dirty dishes."

"Actually," Kaguya stood up. "As I mentioned previously, I have been lacking in my duties as a noble and de-facto head of this household. As such, I shall now make efforts to start fulfilling my role. First of all, there will be no free loaders. All servants and guests are expected to carry their own weight. To reduce the already obscene chakra wastage by an unnamed member of this household…"

"Unnamed? I'm the only person who can use it!" Naruto protested.

"I will be assigning jobs to the other guests." Kaguya finished ignoring Naruto's outburst. "The dishes shall be cleaned by... " Kaguya frowned as she looked at Toph. "Nectophry-san."

"Toph, just call me Toph. And what makes ya think I'm gonna just do whatcha tell me?"

"Because this is your last chance to stay on the Exchange Project if I understood Sunglasses' words correctly. I care not for your reasons for being here but as a noble I will not allow you to languish in idleness. I shall also seek to better your mind and manners."

"I have the feeling I should leave some clones here," Naruto mumbled to Chichi who nodded. "This could get nasty."

"Ya know what?" Toph scowled. "I… Ah what the hell." She deflated. "Whatever, I can't be assed arguing with ya. If you're stupid enough to try and hypnotize the entire planet, I guess your not gonna let my complaining stop ya." She stretched out. "Could be worse, I guess. Ya could make me work with the copper quoting her damn laws at me all day. All I gotta do is clean the dishes right?"

"For a start yes." Kaguya nodded. "Chi-... Spider-san shall assist my servant for today and my servant… You are required to finish all work required to finish preparing the farm by the end of the day."

"Wait a minute!" Naruto protested. "Toph just has to clean dishes but I have to get this entire place up and running."

"You have your clones and are my servant, hence you must be able to achieve at least this, not to mention you were planning to do this anyway." Kaguya glanced at Toph, "Besides… I do not have high hopes of this one."

"Ha! Sucks to be useful!" Toph proudly declared. "Being a badass means ya don't do work. Bunny-boss gets it."

"I don't understand why she's so proud about being a nuisance." Chichi remarked dryly as Toph leaned back in her chair and put her feet on the table, only for Kaguya to glare at her until she removed them.

"Well," Naruto shrugged as they left the kitchen. "Everyone needs to be proud of something I guess?"

' _ **-great-great-great- Like you're proud of… wait what do you have to be proud of? Oh right! Your association to me! great-great-great-great...'**_

Naruto chose to tune the fox out. "Well let's get this over with." He stepped out on to the farm and looked at the wasteland of dumped trash forming a familiar hand seal.

* * *

 _Much Later_

Kaguya was officially stumped. She had expected some resistance to her plans from Toph so when the toad girl had not resisted, Kaguya had been wary but somewhat optimistic. She had left Toph alone with a sink full of hot, soapy water (Kaguya had added the boiler to the list of modern wonders that she loved along with cereal) and the dirty bowls, plates and cutlery from their breakfast. She had returned not five minutes later to see a disinterested Toph surrounded by broken plates and the dishwasher was on fire.

After extinguishing the fire, Kaguya decided she would keep a closer eye on this troublemaker and mentally scolded herself for not seeing such an outcome immediately when Toph agreed to help out. Clearly Toph was going to fail every challenge so as to convince Kaguya that she was useless, but the former rabbit goddess was going to have none of it. She had decided to personally oversee her next task, cleaning the kitchen counter. It was a simple job that involved wiping down the the surfaces that had been used. Kaguya still couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, but somehow barely a minute into the job, every surface was covered in rubbish and dirt. Somehow Toph, armed only with a damp cloth, had turned the kitchen into a garbage heap.

"How?!" Kaguya finally forced out as she turned to Toph. The two of them were sat outside of the house, to ensure that there was a house left when Chichi and Naruto returned from the fields.

"I dunno," Toph shrugged. "I never was any good with chores and stuff, but I'm pretty awesome at fighting." She nodded proudly.

"There is not being good at something and then… then there is you." Kaguya shook her head. "Even my servant couldn't make such a mess and he is lacking in so many areas."

"What? Ya want me to apologize or somethin'?" Toph crossed her arms angrily. "Fat chance! Not my fault that this house can't handle my cleanin'! Besides, just boss your 'servant' around. From what I've seen that's all ya really do."

"Boss him around?" Kaguya frowned.

"Yeah, ya treat him like crap. If ya treated me that way," Toph glared at Kaguya, "Then we'd have a problem, ya hear? And ya don't wanna have a problem with me."

"I don't treat him like…" Kaguya frowned, "Waste." She finished tactfully.

"Ha! Ya really think that? Just ask the copper. She'd tell ya all the laws you're breakin' but at the end of the day she'd agree you're treating the boss like crap. He's just too kind to say anything. Probably feels guilty for crippling ya. You don't know how lucky you are." Toph grinned. "If what he said is true, if ya'd tried that sorta crap with me… Well, I wouldn't have taken pity on ya for losing your powers. Fact is, I doubt many people would. Then again, I guess the boss overlooked me trying to kill him so... " She shrugged. "Maybe I don't have the right to say anything, ya know?"

"I… I see." Kaguya frowned. "It is a poor noble who treats their staff so poorly."

"Maybe you're still pissed that he beat ya." Toph shrugged. "And you're sub… sub…"

"Subconsciously?"

"Yeah that, subconsciously tryin' to punish the boss and everyone he hangs around with, including me and the damn Arachne-cop."

"I guess that is possible," Kaguya frowned at the toad. "You surprisingly make a good point. I guess I will entrust you with a final task. Just run me a bath and try not to destroy the house in the process."

"Of course 'master'," Toph bowed sarcastically before turning to head towards the house. "Not like ya did any work that coulda made you work up a sweat. Betcha want some sort of bubble bath in it as well?"

"Pardon?"

"I'd have thought that ya would know all 'bout bubble bath being a stuck-up noble."

"Bubble bath?" Kaguya frowned.

"...Well it's like chemicals ya put in the bath that smell nice and make ya feel better. I think," Toph frowned. "Never used 'em myself but I figured you'd like that sort of crap."

"Just a hot bath will do" Kaguya frowned. "With water."

"Whatever," Toph headed into the house. "Wait a second, where's the damn bathroom?" She scowled as she wandered through the large house, checking the rooms. While most of them were empty, there were a few rooms that caught Toph's attention.

"Huh, this must be the copper's room," She walked in looked at the books on Chichi's desk. " _'Unsolved Police Cases'_? _'Human Liminal Relations'_?" She snorted. "What else did I expect?" She glanced at the hammock. "Huh, guess she can't really sleep in a normal bed. Still, this ain't the bathroom." Toph left the room, but not before deliberately re-arranging her books and paperwork, knowing it would probably tick Chichi off later. "Fight the power," She smirked and snickered to herself as she headed to the next room.

"This must be the bunny's room." She remarked as a small army of rabbits turned to stare at her with an eerie sense of unity. "I guess I should just leave them alone." She shut the door and continued down the hallway. "How big is this damn house?!"

* * *

 _In the fields_

Chichi frowned as the clones brought her items to identify. It was kind of sad to see the complete disregard that people had for the land, tossing away all sorts of junk on the farm as it was no longer in use. Part of her wanted to find the people responsible and make sure that they served a community sentence, helping clean the mess that they had made. It was something of a paradox to Chichi. The few times she had been in the city it had always been spotless. She had assumed that the Japanese were just culturally inclined to correctly dispose of litter, but it looked like all the litter was just put out of sight.

"Is this useful?" A clone wandered up to her carrying a burnt out laptop.

"No," Chichi gestured to one of the two piles she was stood next to, "It would not surprise me if it had been used in a crime, before being destroyed and dumped here. It's useless."

"Fair enough," The clone tossed the twisted plastic onto the much larger junk pile, which had several broken fridges and other large and ultimately useless housing appliances. Maybe the effort of getting them taken care of properly was too much of a hassle for people, so dumping them here seemed easier. Either way Chichi would mention it to Agent Smith at the next possible opportunity. She would try and ring her, but the number on the phone she had given Naruto always went to voicemail.

"Well," Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow as he headed to Chichi. "Looks like the fields are almost done. Shame there wasn't much stuff we could salvage. There's still the barns to look through, though. I only gave them a brief look over when we first got here, but there seemed to be some huge machinery and plenty of tools in one of them."

"Hopefully they haven't had any parts scavenged." Chichi sighed. "But with this land being left unused for so long I cannot say I'm too hopeful."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded with a frown. "Some of that junk seemed to have been here for a while, judging by the rust on the metal anyway. I never did ask Ms. Smith why this place was free."

"Maybe it was too expensive to maintain a farm of this size," Chichi glanced at Naruto. "I suppose with your clones it will be much cheaper for you to run it should you wish to."

"That's definitely an option," Naruto nodded. "There's no better kind of veggies than fresh veggies."

"Indeed, plus there is something satisfying about getting your food yourself." Chichi looked at Naruto's clones.

"Oh yeah," Naruto nodded, "I guess with your hunting instincts you'd really like that sort of thing."

"There is a sort of… satisfaction I get when eating food I have caught myself, although I never was that competent at cooking beyond the basics of skinning and making a stew of the meat."

"I'm not that much better," Naruto chuckled. "Ero-sennin taught me a few tricks to make life on the road more bearable."

"You mentioned him before, but who is this Ero-sennin?"

"His name was Jiraiya and he… He was probably the closest thing I had to a father."

"Oh… Did you not get along with your actual father?"

"My parents died the day I was born."

"Oh I am so sorry," Chichi bowed her head. "I had no intention of causing you distress."

"Don't sweat it," Naruto shook his head and stared at the blue sky. "I know they loved me and they gave their lives so that I could have one. Sure I wish I could have spent more time with them but… We don't always get what we want. Anyway…" He cleared his throat, "Jiraiya… He was one of the best ninja in my village. There wasn't a soul who didn't respect his combat prowess and mastery of seals, which were a specialist art," Naruto added seeing Chichi's confused expression. "Admittedly he didn't make many friends with the women of my village, seeing as he was a self proclaimed super pervert."

"Super?"

"He got offended if you called him a normal pervert." Naruto had a fond expression on his face. "But Ero-sennin was killed by a former pupil of his. One who had lost his way, but I was able to make him see the light. Still, part of me wanted him to reject my views. Part of me wanted to really hurt him for taking Ero-sennin from me…" Naruto went quiet for a moment. "But Ero-sennin wouldn't have wanted that."

"I'm sure he is still watching over you," Chichi tried to comfort Naruto.

"Gods I hope not," Naruto joked. "Surrounded by all these attractive women… I can imagine all too well what Jiraiya would be telling me to do."

Chichi said nothing as Naruto stared off into space, a slight dampness in his eyes.

"Still," Naruto shook his head, as if trying to dislodge unwanted memories, "I'd best get back to work. No point sitting on my backside all day. Kaguya would only nag at me even more."

The long legged Arachne watched as Naruto returned to his work, before shaking her head and going over to help him as he made his way to one of the larger barns.

"Man," Naruto coughed as they stepped inside, "This place is full of dust. It must have been ages since anyone walked in here."

"Indeed," Chichi frowned as she walked over to a large fireplace. "Strange... "

"Hey an anvil!" Naruto laughed.

"An anvil?" Chichi smiled, "This must have been a forge, although it has definitely seen better days."

"Yeah," Naruto chuckled as he picked up a set of iron tongs that were little more than rust at this point. "I don't think these are fit for purpose."

"Then this must be a furnace," Chichi approached what she originally thought was a fireplace. "I guess it makes sense. If running the farm was too expensive, you would try and save money where you could. Having a forge would help you build and maintain your own tools would be useful if you had the skills to make use of it."

"Hey Chichi!" Naruto stepped out of the shadows wearing a thick leather apron several sizes too big for him. "You think it suits me?"

Chichi snorted with laughter. "I apologize. It is far too big for you Handler-san."

"You reckon?" Naruto chuckled as he took it off, searching through the pockets. "These look like cigarettes." He pulled the packet out and tossed it to one side and continued rummaging.

"It looks like there's a bed in here as well," Chichi swiftly clambered up the beams to the second floor of the barn.

"Oh neat!" Naruto calmly strolled up the wall. "Anything useful?"

"Unfortunately not," Chichi frowned at small bedside table. "It looks like the previous occupant may have lit a candle, but never blew it out," She pointed to the pool of wax inside a candle holder.

"And?" Naruto blinked.

"Leaving a candle running unattended in a building made of wood? Sure the area around the forge is mostly stone, but this living area is still wooden. The chance that the building could be set on fire is quite high."

"So the person who lived here earlier was lazy?"

"No… He lit the candle, but something likely happened that meant he couldn't blow it out."

"...Or he forgot?" Naruto chuckled. "I know you want to be a police officer, but you don't have to see a mystery where there isn't one."

"I… apologize," Chichi coughed. "I sometimes get a little bit caught up in mysteries. Still…" Chichi headed to the bed while Naruto rooted through the drawers on the bedside table. "This bed was left unmade."

"Have you seen Toph's bedroom?" Naruto chuckled. "Not everyone makes their bed after they get up."

"That's true," Chichi deflated slightly.

"Hey Chichi… What's a condom?"

"...What?"

"This things?" Naruto pulled a small white box out of the top drawer.

"Ah… they… well you see…" Chichi fidgeted awkwardly. "Doesn't the box say anything else?"

"Not really." Naruto opened the box. "Are these useful?" He pulled a one of the sealed condoms from the packet.

"P-probably not after all this time," Chichi coughed.

"Hey, it has a date stamped on it."

"Really?" Chichi looked at it, "That date… is twenty nine years ago."

"So?"

"So this room likely hasn't been slept in for at least that long, possibly even longer."

"Oh," Naruto opened the package curiously. "Is it some sort of glove… Nah it only covers a couple of fingers… although you can roll it back over your arm… Oh gods I know what this is."

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded. "I remember watching someone use one."

"You do?!"

"Well it was similar I think. It was on a farm for a D-rank… I swear I remember seeing the veterinarian they called in use it when dealing with a cow."

"...What?"

"Yeah! Because she had to go up to her arm into the cow and poke something with her fingers."

"...Ah."

"What, is that not it?"

"I… I wouldn't know." Chichi replied evasively. "I do not understand how things work on a farm."

"Maybe Kaguya or Toph will know," Naruto rolled up the stretched condom and stuffed it back into its protective packaging, leaving Chichi sweating badly. "Still, you reckon this place hasn't been entered in 30 years?"

"Indeed," Chichi leapt at the subject change, "All the tools are in bad shape and when we entered it was almost like a forgotten ruin."

' _ **-great-great-... Wait a second. Naruto… You are not alone in here.'**_

Naruto suddenly froze. _**'**_ _What do you mean?'_

' _ **I'm sensing something hungry nearby.'**_

' _Where?'_

' _ **It doesn't seem like it's a malicious hunger, so I can't seem to pinpoint it, but I'd advise getting the hell out of there regardless.'**_

' _I can take it!'_

' _ **Maybe you can, but how about Chichi?'**_

' _Ah… You're right.'_

' _ **When am I not? Now where was I… Oh yes. Great-great-great…'**_

Naruto tapped Chichi on her shoulder and jerked his head, implying they should leave.

"What is it?" Chichi asked as they stepped outside of the barn.

"I felt something in there. Alive and hungry," Naruto explained.

"Something's moving!" Chichi pointed to the door.

"Stay behind me," Naruto crouched in a combat position, kunai in hand.

As the door opened Naruto instinctively threw his kunai as a warning shot, scaring the life out of the small rat that had just peaked out of the door and causing the rodent to flee towards the forest.

"A rat?" Chichi let out a sigh of relief.

' _ **Huh? I could have sworn the hunger I felt was more… Ah maybe the rats around here are more feral than I'm used to. -great-great-great-...'**_

' _Damn it Kurama, you got me all jumpy.'_ Naruto sighed but was interrupted by Chichi's stomach growling.

"Ah, I apologize," Chichi blushed.

"I guess it must be getting close to lunch time," Naruto chuckled. "Let's head back home for a meal."

"I would appreciate that." Chichi glanced over her shoulder as they left the barn and started across the field, before frowning and looking again.

"You alright?"

"It's... It's nothing." Chichi chuckled. "Just a little spooked."

"Sorry for the false alarm," Naruto laughed.

"Yes…" Chichi glanced at the barn again. _'It must have been a trick of the light…'_ She thought to herself as they headed back towards the house. _'But I could have sworn I saw something on the roof.'_

* * *

 _Back at the House_

When Naruto and Chichi entered the main entrance to the house, they had expected to see carnage caused by Toph rebelling against Kaguya at some point while they were working. They expected ruin, a furious Kaguya and an equally mad Toph. As they walked in, what they saw instead was a smug looking Toph and a… different Kaguya.

' _I didn't see this outcome.'_ Naruto blinked as Kaguya energetically waved at them, leaning heavily on Toph. She had a distant look in her eyes and seemed to be staggering around as if drunk. _'I was expecting a war zone.'_

' _-_ _ **great-great-great… One might say you were expecting them both to be hopping mad? Great-great…'**_

' _God damn it Kurama!'_ Naruto mentally groaned.

"Look who it is!" Kaguya giggled as they walked into the room. "Look at her legs… she has legs for days!" Kaguya burst out laughing and fell over.

"Er…" Naruto glanced at Toph know snorted with laughter. "Care to explain?"

"Well…" Toph grinned evilly. "I don't take kindly to people constantly bossing me around, ya know?"

"What have you done?" Chichi scowled at Toph.

"Nobody treats Toph-sama like a bitch ya hear." She crossed her arms victoriously. "I got the idea this morning right? When you was bitching about drinking and stuff, I got to thinking. As ya might remember from my awesome escape story, I can secrete a toxin. It occurred to me that maybe a healthy dose of toxin was what the doctor ordered to make the bunny lighten up."

"You poisoned her?" Chichi looked horrified. "That is a violation of one of the Principal Laws! And it happened under my watch… This is all my fault. I knew you were going to be trouble."

"Relax copper," Toph smirked. "At worst my venom gets ya really high. Apparently it didn't work as intended with the bunny and well... she sort of got drunk off it."

"Hey… when did you learn the strange clone technique Asura Inheritor-chan uses?" Kaguya giggled. "There so many spider-chans~" She rolled around on the floor.

"Okay…" Naruto walked up to Kaguya. "How did you manage to get her to take the toxin?"

"Well the bunny was ordering me to do chores then she wanted me to run her a bath. So I did. But ya know what goes down so well with a hot bath? A glass of cold milk."

"You poisoned her milk." Chichi crossed her arms. "Shall I pack your bags or are you going to do it yourself? Once this is reported to Agent Smith you'll be one the first plane back to whatever swamp you crawled out of."

"I told ya, she'll be fine in a couple of hours." Toph helped Kaguya to her feet. "Besides I ain't going back where I came from. My pride is on the line here!"

"You know…" Kaguya looked at Toph. "You are really frightfully common and you make a mess of everything and you speak like some kind of thug…" Kaguya paused in her thoughts.

"But?" Toph prompted.

"That is all," Kaguya fell back to the floor giggling as Toph let go of her.

"Here, I've got her," Naruto lifted her in a bridal carry. "Come on, you need to sleep this off."

"You have such wonderful eyes." Kaguya tilted her head. "My blue eyed servant."

"And you are delirious," Naruto chuckled as he carried her up the stairs.

"I'm sorry." Kaguya mumbled.

"Eh?"

"Sorry that I was a… as a certain toad girl would put it 'Crappy Rabbit Hag'."

"Don't mention it." Naruto chuckled.

"Tell me…" Kaguya mumbled. "Do you hate me?"

"Hate you?"

"I killed that strange man with my ash spears. The man who had the weird looking half of his body."

"Obito…" Naruto closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from letting his anger bubble up. It wouldn't change anything at this point and it wouldn't be right to get upset at her when she was in this state. "When you killed him… I was pretty pissed." He nodded.

"But you understand he had to die right? He was in my way." Kaguya grabbed hold of his shirt with her lone remaining hand. "He wanted to cause misery."

"He… He lost his way." Naruto frowned. "But he found it again… Right at the end he found it."

"Have I lost my way?" Kaguya asked sadly. "I used to have everything figured out… Now look at me. Here I am stuck in this… this festival of oddities. I have no power. I have nothing…"

"You're not alone you know," Naruto smiled at her. "We're stuck here together."

"Don't get familiar with me you stinky servant." Kaguya wrinkled her nose. "Have you bathed at all?"

"Er… Well I've only had a quick wash…"

"That is no good!" Kaguya declared. "As my servant you are a representative of my divine self so you must smell as pleasant as possible!"

"I'll be sure to wash myself thoroughly later." Naruto chuckled.

"Good! A lady such as myself shouldn't have to deal with your smell." Kaguya mumbled as Naruto carried her into her room. "Look at all the bunnies!" She giggled softly.

"Yeah," Naruto had found himself facing many dangers in his life, he had stared down Kaguya at the height of her power, he had not flinched when he stood before Madara, and had locked gazes with the Kyuubi No Youko many times over his life, yet the unerring gaze of the many rabbits inhabiting the room was currently freaking him the hell out. "I'll just put you down here on the bed."

"Eh?" Kaguya seemed to realize where she was for the first time. "Oh is it bed time?"

"Er… sure." Naruto smiled softly as he put her down on the bed.

"Undress me servant."

"...What?!"

"I can't sleep in my only outfit! I'd smell worse than you, my pungent servant," She giggled.

"Er…" Naruto gulped awkwardly. "Maybe I should get Chichi or Toph… Actually maybe just Chichi."

"No!" Kaguya crossed her arm across her chest and pouted.. "They are not my servant. You should follow my orders, you silly servant." She giggled again.

"Er… I guess…" Naruto's throat when dry as he started to undo her kimono, but no sooner had he started to lift it than he heard rather than felt Kaguya slap him.

"Ah, you are at it again!" She grabbed her kimono, holding it tightly shut. "You are trying to seduce me!"

"What? But you asked…" Naruto rubbed his forehead.

"Nooo!" Kaguya rolled around on her bed. "Trying to see me naked?! Were my ankles not enough for you… you perversed peon!" There was brief flicker of pride on her face before it returned to her blushing outrage.

"I have no idea what to do here." Naruto blinked.

' _ **-great-great-great- That makes two of us. Great-great-great…'**_

"Well… I guess I'll let you undress yourself." Naruto tried to sidle out of the room. "Good night."

"Good night?!" Kaguya tried to stand up before falling back onto the bed. "I am a fully grown woman and will decide my own bedtime! As soon as the room stops spinning I'll…"

"You'll?"

There was a most unladylike snore from Kaguya and Naruto chuckled as he shut the door behind him. _'Well… That happened.'_ He returned to find the kitchen a battleground. Chichi had Toph's arm behind her back and was forcing her onto the table while trying to handcuff the delinquent toad, who was lashing out with her feet to try cause Chichi to let her go. Unfortunately for the Toad-Type, Chichi's arachnid lower half allowed her to keep all of her limbs out of reach.

"I apologize for the mess," Chichi grunted with the effort of straining against Toph. "But she refused to pack her bags in preparation of her deportation and resorted to physical violence when I went to pack for her, so I was forced to subdue her."

"Lemme go you damn bitch!" Toph struggled to no avail.

"Let her go Chichi." Naruto sighed.

"Are you sure Handler-san?" Chichi glanced at Naruto who merely nodded. "As you wish."

"Can tell ya wanna be a damn pig with that police brutality." Toph rubbed her wrists angrily. "Gimme a good reason to not smack your teeth out of your stupid face!"

"Say what you will." Chichi looked away. "I doubt I'll have to deal with you much longer."

"Oh come on boss," Toph turned to Naruto. "Ya know how much of a bitch the bunny is. It was just a bit of harmless fun!"

"You tried to poison a fellow Exchange student!"

"Well you tried to break the arm of one!"

"I used reasonable force!"

"Reasonable force my ass!"

"Okay!" Naruto rubbed his forehead. "That's enough from both of you alright? First things first, no more poisoning people." He looked at Toph sternly,

"It wasn't harmful…"

"But as you saw it reacted differently to Kaguya, right?"

"Well I didn't know it was gonna do that."

"What if it had been fatal?"

"...Sorry," Toph grumbled. "It's just… she doesn't show me any damn respect."

"That is no reason to poison someone," Chichi voiced her opinion.

"Second," He turned to Chichi, much to her surprise. "I'm the handler here, as you keep saying, so that means it's my decision who stays and goes right?"

"Well yes but…" Chichi started.

"So I don't want you escalating the situation, alright?"

"But the laws," Chichi protested.

"Alright?" Naruto repeated. "As a police officer you have to use your common sense. Even if I had wanted Toph subdued, I wouldn't want you to possibly injure yourself by trying to take her on alone. Even officers can call for backup and they don't act prematurely, either. Understood?"

"Yes Handler-san." Chichi bowed her head, looking like a young girl who had just been yelled at.

"Right," Naruto sighed. "To be fair, as the handler of you girls the blame ultimately falls on me. I should have left some clones here to keep an eye on things, but I made the mistake of thinking I could trust you alone."

"...Sorry…" Toph and Chichi both looked ashamed.

"Good," Naruto's expression instantly brightened. "So we live and learn. I hope we never have to have a conversation like this again."

"You won't," Chichi nodded.

"Don't worry boss." Toph smirked. "I learned my lesson. Next time we fight ya won't hear about it!"

' _She has totally learned nothing from this.'_ Naruto and Chichi thought at the same time.

"Now that we have dealt with this… I have a question for you." He looked at Toph.

"Eh? What do ya wanna know?"

"Do you know what these are?" Naruto pulled the box of condoms from his pocket. "Chichi had no idea and I've never seen anything like them."

"Of course I do," Toph puffed out her chest. "You are right to ask Toph-sama! No wonder that copper here doesn't know what the are. These are super secret items that only the most badass know about."

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"That's right!" Toph grinned as she opened one. "It is… er…" She started to stretch one out with a frown.

"I thought you knew what it was," Chichi remarked. "Lying to your handler without reason is a violation of Article…"

"I never said I didn't know. Just the first time that I saw one like this ya know." Toph's eyes suddenly lit up. "I see what it is, it's a bokken sheath!"

"I guess you could call it that." Chichi mumbled embarrassed.

"See!" Toph rolled it over her bokken. "This one is a little… weird," She rubbed her hands on her jacket. "It has a… er… cleaning lubrication on it."

"Cleaning lubrication." Naruto blinked. "Weird."

"You have no idea what it is do you?" Chichi sighed.

"Oh well if it isn't what I say it is, then what is it?!" Toph challenged Chichi.

"I… er…" Chichi slumped. "I don't know." _'I can't bring myself to tell them. I'll let them believe what they will for now. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the abdomen…'_

"Maybe I can put my kunai in one." Naruto glanced as Chichi started choking on air. "Are you alright?"

Before Chichi could answer there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Chichi leapt at the chance to escape the conversation. She raced to the door and almost tore it from the hinges as she opened the door. "Hello?" She paused as she was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"Hello Ms." A tired looking man tipped his blue baseball cap with a friendly, if somewhat worldworn smile. "Nice day today, isn't it?" Chichi looked between the new arrival and the large truck that was parked just outside the house.

"Er… Yes." Chichi was unsure how to react. This was probably the first time that she had met a human who hadn't been surprised or keep looking at her spider half. He just met her gaze and smiled. "I'm sorry, can I help you?"

"I've got a delivery here for a Labor Saver?" The delivery man glanced at a clipboard he was carrying, "Oh wait, that's the job title. I mean Naruto Uzumaki. I have some supplies for the Exchange program."

"I'm guessing that it's from Ms. Smith then," Naruto joined Chichi at the door. "Hey, I'm Naruto."

"Minoru, Ken Minoru," Ken offered his hand and Naruto shook it. He stood a fair bit taller than Naruto and was considerably taller than the other japanese humans that Chichi had encountered besides Ms. Smith. He wore a blue shirt and pants that were branded with the same logo as the truck

"DeliverQuick?" Naruto took the clipboard. "Do you get a lot of business from Ms. Smith?"

"Plenty," Ken sighed in a way that reminded Naruto of Shikamaru, in fact now that he thought about it, he was getting a strong Nara vibe from him. He had the same tired eyes, complete with bags under them. "Could you sign here please?" He handed a pen to Naruto who scrawled his signature, his sloppy handwriting taking up most of the space on the form. "Thank you."

"So you've got the supplies I asked Ms. Smith for then?" Naruto followed Ken to the back of the truck.

"Yeah." Ken nodded as he opened the back doors of the trailer.

"That's a lot of boxes," Naruto blinked .The whole thing was packed full of large boxes and containers, with more than a few having FRAGILE scrawled on them and more than a couple saying THIS WAY UP, although a few of these were infact the wrong way up in the trailer.

"Yup," Ken nodded as he signed the clipboard. "Right," He glanced at Naruto. "I was told you had the staff to unload this."

"Er… How much?"

"All of it." Ken chuckled.

"Didn't you bring anyone to help you unload it?" Naruto asked.

"Like I said, I was told by Ms. Smith you had everything you need to unload the truck and that the government didn't need to fork out more money for extra staff."

"Damn cheapskate," Naruto sighed heavily while Chichi silently agreed with Naruto's remark. "I guess I'll have to sort this out myself then." He summoned a small army of clones.

"You can make clones," Ken raised an eyebrow before shrugging and returning to filling out the paperwork.

"That's your reaction?" Chichi blinked ."Don't you find it strange?"

"I've seen all sorts of things," Ken chuckled. "If there are such things as Liminals, why not humans with special powers?"

"In his defence, where I'm from his reaction would be completely normal." Naruto added. "All things considered, it was your reaction I found odd. So… what sort of things are in here?" Naruto tried to ignore the crashing sound as a couple of clones dropped a crate marked fragile and then proceeding to blame each other.

"Furniture, some electronics," Ken leaned against the trailer. "Some food and vital supplies."

"We found the ramen!" A group of clones cheered.

"So…" Naruto watched his clones continue to empty the van with more enthusiasm than professionalism. "You enjoy your job?" He finished awkwardly.

"It's a hard one at times, but it pays the bills," Ken shrugged indifferently. "I could never do your job though."

"My job?" Naruto blinked. "Well, being a ninja isn't for everyone."

"Ninja?" Ken raised his eyebrow but that was about it, "I meant being a farmer."

"Farmer? Well, I guess I'll be one eventually. I'm just a host for a few girls like Chichi at the moment, but I'm hoping to get this farm running eventually." He glanced at the recently cleared fields.

"You're setting yourself up for long days of hard work," Ken remarked. "Although I guess with those clones of yours it might not be too bad for you so long as you know what you are doing."

"Yeah… I really need to get Ms. Smith to send me some books it or something."

"Oh?" Ken titled his head. "You don't know how to run a farm?"

"A long time ago I may have done some basic legwork on a farm, but I was basically just following orders without really thinking about it." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Well…" Ken stroked his soul patch thoughtfully, "There's another farm not very far from here. I deliver things there as well since they're are part of the Exchange program, so I'll bet they can offer you some pointers."

"Really?" Naruto grinned, "I've always been more of a learn by doing kind of person, so if someone can show me what to do that'd be way better than reading books all day."

"Next time I'm there I'll ask the farm's owner if they'd be willing to give you a few pointers."

"That'd be great." Naruto nodded as the clones took the last of the crates from the trailer.

"Just one more thing," Ken handed a small package to Naruto. "I was asked to ensure that you got this no matter what."

"What could be more important than food and 'vital supplies'?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Knowing Ms. Smith, it's probably a brand of coffee beans or something." Chichi frowned before realizing she was mocking the coordinator of the program and chastised herself.

"It's a book. _'An Idiot's Guide to Liminals'_. Oh, and here's a letter." Naruto then unfolded and started to read the letter.

' _Hello Naruto-kun,_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health, because if you were to die it would be really difficult to find a replacement. That's_ way _too much work, so do me a favor and don't die, at least while you are still a handler anyway._

 _The book I've sent with this letter should answer all your questions about the girls that you're living with and any possible future additions. I have made sure to put a few post-it notes to mark the pages that should be of interest to you._

 _I've also arranged for a computer to be sent to you, so you can search for information without needing me to help you out. Hopefully you can use them or someone else in the house can. When I visit I don't want to have to help you set it up before we eat.'_

' _ **-great-great-great- She isn't even trying to hide the fact she's planning to bum meals off of you now is she? Great-great-great-'**_

Naruto rolled his eyes and continued to read the letter.

' _Anyway, if you need anything (within reason) feel free to ring the following number or e-mail this address._

 _Email: OneSheyeGirl-0-_

 _Phone Number: 555-010-4837_

 _On that note, I've set up an email account for your personal use._

 _Username: LaborSaverOct10  
Password: SmithIsAwesome01_

 _I'll be seeing you later,_

 _Kuroko Smith, Local Coordinator_

 _P.S. I sent some amazing coffee cakes that I found in this cute little store nearby my apartment. Make sure to have them ready for my when I visit you in the evening.'_

Naruto sighed as he waved Ken goodbye. "I guess we should get to work sorting out all this furniture." He looked over all of the boxes he was going to have to go through. Even with all of his clones, it would take a long time to assemble all the pieces of furniture, although he would be grateful to have a real bed to lie in. "Well no time like the present," He muttered as he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Ken smiled as he climbed into the van and started the engine. "What an interesting guy." He chuckled before pulling away from the house.

* * *

 _Some Time Later_

Naruto nodded happily as he walked through the now furnished house. What had been a large empty room at the center of the farming complex was was now a large living area, full of different seats and loungers to accommodate Liminal and humans alike. The sheer number of them made Naruto suspect Smith would be sending some more his way, but he chose to ignore that for now and focus on the largest TV Naruto had ever seen. It took up most of the wall it was hung up on, yet was thinner than anything Naruto had seen before. Chichi had assured him that such things were common nowadays. He sat down in one of the larger chairs facing the TV, letting out a happy sigh as he sunk into the cushions.

"There are still some boxes that need dealing with," Chichi walked into the room. "Including a computer."

"Computer?" Naruto frowned. "I think we used to have them back where I lived, but they were only used by the intel and medical corps. Plus they were really big and blocky. Although if this TV is anything to go by, I'll bet you can get ones so small you could almost carry them around!"

"There are such things as laptops, small computers that are designed to be used on the go."

"This world truly is something else." He turned on the TV using the remote and pulled a lever that caused the chair to lean backwards. "It's official. I love the technology of this world."

"I shall continue assisting your clones," Chichi bowed her head. "And then I shall get a shower, if that's okay with you."

"You don't need to ask me permission to shower," Naruto chuckled. "We've been over this before."

"I… You are correct of course. Very well." Chichi bowed her head before leaving the large room.

"Oh, whatcha watching?" Toph walked into the room with her hands in her jacket pockets.

"I have no idea." Naruto stared at the screen.

"Oh just some anime?" Toph scoffed. "Pass me the remote."

"Anime?"

"Ya don't know what that is?" Toph chuckled.

"Besides the odd film, most of the TV I watched in Konoha was all about being a ninja and the news. There were a few children's shows where you would watch Treeman, hero of Konoha defeat the evil of the Iwa Boulder or the Kumo Bolt or sometimes the Kiri Fog, who were all really evil people who had no redeeming factors."

"Would Kumo, Iwa and Kiri be other ninja villages?" Chichi asked as she reentered the room, having overheard the conversation from the other room.

"Yeah why?"

"That sounds more like propaganda that entertainment."

"I have no idea what you mean," Naruto crossed his arms as the program ended. "What? No pledge of allegiance to Konoha? What kind of program ends without that?!"

"You… You're joking right?" Chichi asked uncertainly.

"Oh hang on a sec!" Toph snatched the remote. "Yakuza Onslaught is on next!"

"What's that?" Naruto glanced at the toad girl.

"Hehehe, just the best damn film you'll ever see! See, it's about these totally badass brothers called Genji and Hanzo. They belong to this badass crime group, but they get betrayed by their eldest brother who has them killed, but the two bros survive then have to fight their way back to the top of their old clan, brutally killing anyone who tries to stop them. It's a classic! Ya gotta watch it."

"Hardly, It's just pointless fighting. If they had just called the police then the whole issue would have been resolved in a matter of minutes, rather than an hour and half of pointless killing. They don't even survive the film."

"Spoilers!" Toph yelled at Chichi."Now the boss knows what to expect. Way to kill the fun."

"It's all about people acting against the law and they all die in horrible ways." Chichi frowned as she snatched the remote from Toph. "Besides, we still have work to do"

"Geez," Toph scowled as she got out of the comfy seat she had sat in.

"I'll go set up that computer thing then." Naruto left the room, _'I think I've seen enough wholesale slaughter for one lifetime.'_ He frowned as he remembered those who had fallen in the battle, before shaking his head to dislodge the bad memories and focus on his task at hand. Walking through the hallway he made his way to a designated computer room, on the grounds that this is where the WiFi router was. Naruto had no idea what that meant but Chichi was adamant that this was the right position for it and Naruto had not intention of arguing with her.

"So…" Naruto looked at the several boxes before him. "This seems simple enough. One TV, one… Well I am going to call this a metal box unit and two plugs plus… a hell of a lot of wires and small fiddly things. How hard can this be?" He shrugged as he attempted to put the computer together before stepping back and surveying his work against a picture on one of the boxes. "That looks about right. Now let's see what happens when I plug it in and get it going!"

He plugged in the tower and the screen into an adaptor, then turned the plug on, waiting for something to happen.

"A green light!" Naruto laughed. "It lives!" He waited for a little while. "Er… Now what?" He walked over and pressed the power button. "There has to be some sort of instructions around here." With a sigh, Naruto started searching through the boxes. "Ah, here we go… _'Computer User's Manual'_." He picked up the large book. "What the hell?! This thing is huge! Wait, I've got an idea!"

' _ **-great-great-great- Careful. You might hurt yourself if you think too hard. Especially when you aren't used to it. Great-great-'**_

Ignoring Kurama, Naruto tore the book apart at the spine into several equal sections and summoned several clones, handing each clone a one of the pieces. "Now if we all read our bits then you dispel, I'll have read the entire thing! I'm a genius!"

* * *

 _Some Time Later_

"Handler-san?" Chichi peeked her head into the room. "Are you alright? How are things going?"

"Hehehe…" Naruto was rocking on the floor, surrounded by the pieces of the book. "Do you know what a Universal Serial Bus is?"

"A USB?" Chichi was surprised by the question, but then she noticed the cover on one of the pieces of ripped book. "Have you read the entire User Manual?"

"I have." Naruto looked at her with empty eyes. "I know the difference between Random Access Memory and Read Only Memory. I know what a Gigabyte and a Gigabit is. I know what a Gigahertz is and how quad core improves computer performance. But I _still_ can't get the damn thing to turn on! I don't even fully understand the things I know! It's just memorizing statements without any understanding!"

"Allow me to assist you Handler-san."

"Thank you." Naruto stood up, giving her a grateful smile. "So… I've got this green light here," He pointed at the tower. "But… That's it."

"There should be some sort of installation instructions," Chichi rooted through some of the boxes, before fishing out a much thinner pamphlet. "Here we go! Okay step by step. Ensure all electronics are turned off before attempting assembly." She turned the plug off. "Step two, check all items against the following list… One screen check…"

"Do we have to do this step by step? Can't you just skip to the end?"

"We were given these precise instructions by someone who knows what they are doing." Chichi shook her head. "If we are going to set up this PC, we'll do it properly." She finished checking the items. "Right… Step three, connect the monitor to the tower using the provided cable…" Chichi handed the cable to Naruto. "This should fit on the back of the monitor and the same sort of port should be on the tower as well okay?"

"I'll see what I can find," Naruto peered at the back of the monitor, "Oh! I see what you mean." He happily connected the monitor to the tower. "Now do we start it up?"

"Patience," Chichi read the notes. "Now we need to install the keyboard…"

Naruto calmly followed Chichi's orders. "You like this sort of thing?" He asked as he plugged in the mouse.

"I do find something strangely satisfying about following an ordered list." Chichi smiled. "It is a such an effective way of dealing with problems in easy, clear steps. Right… You can turn it on now." There was a crackle and the monitor turned on.

"It says press any key to continue," Naruto frowned.

"It means any button on the keyboard." Chichi translated.

"Oh right," Naruto sat in the computer chair as Chichi stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. "Now what?"

"You need to click on 'New Installation'," Chichi glanced at the book.

"What?"

"Use the mouse, that thing there next to the keyboard, to move the pointer on the screen."

"Oh right. Where do you want me to click?"

Chichi leaned into Naruto as she touched the screen where she wanted him to click, not realizing she was unintentionally pushing her breasts into the back of his head.

' _So soft…'_

' _ **-great-great- Was that a Jiraiya-esque thought there?'**_

' _W-what? No not at all'_ Naruto quickly focused on the screen, although the soft warmth on the back of his head was a constant reminder to Chichi's presence, although the Arachne in question seemed fully absorbed in the task of setting up the computer. It was kind of endearing to Naruto, her eyes were sparkling as she told him what to do. _'She really seems to enjoy this sort of thing.'_

' _ **And you seem to be enjoying it as well.'**_

' _Shut up you damn fox! It's not like that. I mean she is pretty and all but… It's not like I'm going to be staying here for the rest of my life.'_

' _ **Maybe, maybe not.'**_ Kurama yawned. _**'By the way, Chichi's calling your name.'**_

"Ah sorry," Naruto blinked. "I was deep in thought."

"I know a username is an important thing, but you can always change it later if you don't like it," Chichi assured him.

"Right," He leaned forward out of Chichi's breasts, although the spider-girl didn't show any signs of noticing he was in her bosom in the first place and typed in a username, settling for his name for now.

"Right, now we need to sign you into your email," Chichi put her hand over Naruto's and guided him across the screen, explaining her actions, although all Naruto could think of was now surprisingly soft her hands were. Despite their strange color and more clawed appearance to his own hands, they were warm and smooth to the touch. Chichi's attention was focused purely on the screen, so if she had any opinions about Naruto's hands, she kept them to herself. Judging from her enthusiasm, it was quite likely she didn't even register that she was holding his hand. Chuckling, Naruto tried to focus on what she was saying.

"So then you enter your password and… done." Chichi stood back proudly. "You are now signed into your email account. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"No… Thanks Chichi. I really appreciate your help. Kaguya and I… we're both kind of new to the technology of this world so I am grateful for your help."

"It's a pleasure to serve," Chichi smiled.

"Hey, it's an email from Smith!" Naruto opened the email. " _'Dear Labor Saver. Hope you get this email. Got an important message for you when I see you next.'_ "

"I wonder what that could be," Chichi frowned.

"We'll find out later tonight I would imagine."

"Or maybe right now?" Ms. Smith walked into the room.

"Oh you're here." Naruto glanced over his shoulder. "I haven't started cooking dinner yet."

"I'm not just here for your food you know."

"So it _is_ one of the reasons."

"I'm here to do my job as well. At least one of my jobs." Smith sighed. "I've seen what you've done with the place. I'm glad that furniture was put to good use. So, have you got the grips on using the computer yet?"

"He's learning very quickly," Chichi nodded. "Fortunately I have some experience with computers."

"What the hell?!" Naruto yelled out.

"What's the matter?" Chichi quickly ran over to him.

"This damn thing," Naruto scowled at the screen. "It's implying that… well…"

"Oh…" Smith snorted. "That's spam."

"Spam?"

"Basically fake or junk mail designed to trick people into spending money or giving out personal information," Smith smiled. "I am sure that you don't need any… male enhancements."

"Thanks?" Naruto summoned a small group of clones. "Go put some coffee on and start cooking." He ordered the clone before continuing to play around with the email account. "Say… Do I have a bank account number?"

"Why?" Smith and Chichi looked at him confused.

"Because apparently there's a Nigerian prince who needs my help! It sounds like he is in real trouble, but I can help him out if I give him my bank account details and then he'll give me some money as a thank you."

* * *

 _Later On_

"Stupid Chichi banning me from the computer," Naruto sulked as he walked towards the dinner table where Smith, Toph and Chichi were sat waiting.

"Ah excellent," Smith smiled at him. "I always enjoy your cooking."

"Why? It's nothing special."

"It's free and edible." Smith nodded, "Plus you make a mean cup of coffee."

"Thanks I guess?" Naruto sat down as everyone started to eat their meals.

"So," Smith sipped her coffee. "Where's Kaguya-chan? I have a message for the two of you."

"She's sleeping after a… strange incident that took its toll on her." Naruto coughed awkwardly.

"You see Toph..." Chichi started to explain.

"Is this going to make me fill in some paperwork?" Smith rubbed her forehead and took her glasses off, a dark look in her eyes.

"Probably, yes." Chichi nodded. "It would more than certainly result in Toph's deportation."

"She's making it sound worse than it was!" Toph protested.

"Did Naruto-kun have any objections to Toph remaining here?" Smith asked.

"Well no but…" Chichi started.

"Then that's good enough for me. Issue resolved." Her mood brightened instantly and she put the glasses back on. "Another cup of coffee over here Naruto-kun!"

"But…"

"Issue resolved," Smith repeated firmly. "Well, I guess you'll have to pass the message on to Kaguya-chan then."

"Alright," Naruto chuckled. "So what is the big message?"

"Well first things first," Smith put her cutlery down on a clean plate.

"Wait, did you finish an entire steak dinner that quickly?!" He glanced at Toph who was trying to rip her well-done steak apart with her teeth and hands and Chichi who was calmly cutting her medium-rare steak and trying her best not to reflexively scold Toph. "We've barely even started."

"I'll answer when you bring those lovely little cakes out." Smith smiled.

"Man, you're something else lady," Naruto chuckled as a clone brought in the cakes. "So... "

"Right," Smith picked up one of the small coffee cake and took a bite. "You should learn how to make your own cakes so I don't have to keep buying them for you to give to me."

"I'm not your personal chef," Naruto remarked dryly.

"I was supposed to sort this out when you first arrived," Smith licked her fingers clean, having already demolished the cake, "But I completely forgot, teehee," She playfully hit herself on the top of her head. "You and Kaguya both need complete physicals."

"Why?"

"It is the policy for anyone partaking in the Exchange program. As it is still a new undertaking, there's the possibility of diseases being transmitted unintentionally, therefore it is imperative that a full physical is carried out so that any potentially contagious diseases are caught, so as to prevent transmission and mutation of the disease." Chichi informed him.

"What she said," Smith nodded. "So I need you and Kaguya to come back to my office tomorrow. I'll send someone to pick you up and drive you back home after the tests are completed."

"Okay." Naruto shrugged. "What about Toph and Chichi?"

"Oh, they'll have to stay here."

"By themselves?" Naruto glanced at Toph who was now trying to cut her steak with her bokken and Chichi who was using a napkin to gently dab at the leftover juices from the steak on her face. "Can't you get MON or someone in here to keep the peace?"

"Can't you use your clones?"

"Well… I guess I could but if anything happens and they get destroyed, I'll be too far away to do anything about it."

"I promise you Handler-san. I will not succumb to this delinquent's insults as I watch over the house. As the most senior Exchange student in the house, I of course will be in charge for the duration of your absence as per Article 1E- Subsection 12, 'In the event of the Handler being unable to perform his duty of care either due to illness or other commitments, they must assign a competent person to fulfill their duties.' And I think it is clear to all gathered that of the two of us, I'm the only one competent enough to be given authority."

"Well. that law means another human has to be a temporary handler," Smith clarified, "Besides, if you're staying here, it really doesn't matter who's in charge."

"Like hell I'm letting her be my boss!" Toph protested through a mouth full of chewed steak. "I'm not gonna sit back and let little miss donut-dunker boss me around! I'll kick her ass! If anyone should be the boss, it's me!"

"I am not going to respond, as being the more competent person, I know that engaging you would only lead to increased aggression, which is the last thing this situation calls for."

"Fight me!" Toph growled.

"And you want me to leave these two alone?" Naruto looked at Ms. Smith.

"Hehe," Smith laughed weakly. "Well, most of the machinery used in your tests can't really be brought here so… I'm sure they'll learn to get along."

"Seriously, can't you just ask MON to help me out?"

"They are an elite task force for fighting Liminal criminals."

"If they don't come here there could be a murder!"

"Well… The truth is… Remember when I visited here with Tio-chan?"

"Oh yeah I remember her. Hey!" He pulled a tranquilizer out of his leg.

"Don't even think about her! I've told you, she's a member of my team." Smith holstered her tranquilizer gun. "Anyway… I kind of left a lot of paperwork for the other MON members and they… kind of are holding it against me so they won't help you out here."

"Their grudge is against you!"

"I might have possibly told them that you refused to let me go in order to try and seduce Tio, so they blame you for Tio not getting back in time to help them."

"Why me?!"

"Well it was the only way to stop them from being angry at me." Smith defended herself. "Plus they kind of… want to help with your medical, so they might possibly be planning to get their revenge then. Thanks for the cake BYE!" Smith left so fast Naruto could have sworn she left an after-image

' _ **-great-great-great-great-great-great...great grandmother.'**_ Kurama finally finished. _**'What's wrong with you?'**_

' _I'm probably going to die tomorrow.'_ Naruto sighed only to be brought out of his musing when a chewed steak slapped across his face and he to see Toph diving over the table at Chichi. _'And even if I don't, I probably won't have a house left to come back to. I'm going to bed.'_ He wandered to the small area in the kitchen where he had been sleeping on an old sofa. "On that's right… I actually have a room now. Might as well make the most of it before it gets destroyed." He reached down for the sheet had been using to keep himself warm. "What the hell?"

' _ **Something wrong?'**_

' _My blanket is missing and…'_ Naruto lifted his hand which had a strange sticky substance on it. _'What the hell is this?'_ He wiped his hand on his jacket before staring out of the open window. _'Maybe some sort of strange thief?'_

' _ **Well… If the memories of that certain talk with Jiraiya are accurate… I'd imagine you might have had an interesting dream and…'**_

' _THIS IS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!'_ Naruto stormed out of the room, ignoring Kurama's booming laughter.

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the fourth chapter!**

 **This chapter introduced Ken Minoru, a hard working delivery man with a calm and tired looking demeanor. His name comes from the Japanese word for "reliable". Despite his rather tired demeanor, he is actually a very hard worker. He's in his early 30's and has a wife and two kids, and young girl and infant son. I created him to be someone who interacts with Naruto and the gang when I realized that the planned cast was pretty much just Naruto, his love interests, Smith, Kurama, and future antagonists. Ken will appear throughout the story as the regular "Delivery Guy" and friend of the gang. I have a few more OC planned to friends as well, but you'll have to wait and see who they are. If you want a good reference on how to picture him, take Raven from Tales of Vesperia, remove his ponytail, give him a lighter skin tone, make him taller, and put him in a light blue version of Namatame's uniform (from Persona 4).**

 **We got some more insight into Kaguya's view on nobility this chapter. Unlike some nobles who think that because they're nobility, they are better no matter what, Kaguya believes it is her duty as a noble to try her hardest to be better so she can be a good leader set an example for the people she is (technically no longer) in charge of. Her arrogance and attitude towards those she dislikes may tend to make it seem like she's more the former, however.**

 **Next chapter's going to be a goody, what with Chichi and Toph being left alone and Naruto and Kaguya going to the doctor. It will cover some important things as well, such as Kaguya's arm and what happened to her third eye, as well as more details on the history of farm.**

 **Now on to the expected questions section.**

 **Q: What happened to that shopping trip you mentioned?**

 **A: There will be a shopping trip, but not for awhile. The required cast to make it perfect hasn't been assembled yet :P. In the meantime, I'll have to find a way for Naruto and Kaguya more clothes, or at least copies of their current outfits, but I have a plan for that. Just don't worry.**

 **Q: Why didn't Naruto know what a condom was? Shouldn't at least Jiraiya have explained that to him if he didn't know?**

 **A: This is the guy who thought the pregnant Kurenai was just getting fat we're talking about here. Also, I've always believed that Jiraiya was the one that gave him the talk, but I also believe he did it with a lot of gesturing, dancing around, and heavy innuendo that left Naruto more embarrassed and confused than anything. In all seriousness, for the sake of this story (and comedy), Naruto knows what sex is, he knows that's how babies are made, but that's pretty much where his knowledge ends.**

 **Q: Okay then, why doesn't Toph know what it is?**

 **A: It's part of her backstory and history that'll be explained later, but the short, not-too-spoilery version is that she was always led to believe that sex was for reproduction, so the idea of a contraceptive is foreign to her.**

 **Q: What was with the loopy Kaguya being so nice to Naruto? I thought you said you weren't going to rush their development!**

 **A: Kaguya was essentially high/drunk at the time and she wasn't her usual self because her inhibitions were lowered. In fact, she's probably not going to remember most of it in the morning.**

 **Q: What was with Toph walking around with her tits hanging out at the beginning?**

 **A: I refer you to her own explanation. She doesn't like having her breasts insulted, but she doesn't care who sees them.**

 **Q: What was that rat with a collar in Toph's room?**

 **A: Remember when Toph mentioned last chapter that if her room attracted rats, she'd keep one as a pet? I guess it actually happened :P. There will be more on that next chapter.**

 **Q: What's with all the "chan" and "kun" being thrown around with no reactions?**

 **A: Because unlike how many fanfics portray it, they are used as a measure of formality and familiarity, not romantic interest. Kaguya was upset at being called "Kaguya-chan" before because she felt it was to familiar and not respectful enough for someone of her station, nothing else.**

 **Q: Why doesn't Kaguya know Naruto is her descendant if she knows he's Asura's reincarnation?**

 **A: Because Kaguya was sealed before their first reincarnation, she doesn't know that Asura and Indra are only reincarnated in their descendants. For all she knew, the only reason Sasuke had a sharingan was because he had Indra's chakra (based around the idea that Kakashi was able to temporarily use Obito's sharingan because Obito gave him some of his own chakra (if you've got a better explanation...it will be ignored :P).**

 **If you have any other question related to the plot, the answer is probably just "you'll find out later".**

 **See ya next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys and gals! Here's chapter 5, and boy this one's a doozy. It took Drake and I quite a bit to write and it's at least twice as long as the shortest chapter, chapter 2. It also took forever and a half to edit (most of the last two and a half days, in fact). But I digress, this chapter is kind of an important one to the long term of the story, so I hope you enjoy it! Chapter 6 won't be out for a bit, since Drake is planning to work on the next chapter of his story "To Love 'Ruto" next before we start on it. If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it. It was that story that made me approach him for our partnership in the first place after all! Also, don't worry about the delay, as this gives me more time to plan out the next few chapters and make the story even better.**

 **As some of you may have noticed, this story has a new pic, the promised Nectophry commission! If you want, you can find a better quality version of the pic on my deviantart. Next, I'm going to commission a picture of a girl who's going to be among the next few to appear, so she's a secret until she either appears or the picture is finished. She's also one who'll play an important role in the long run, so I hope you'll like her. Anyway, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

The kitchen was a lively affair as the inhabitants prepared for the day ahead. Naruto was sitting at the table, one arm over the back of his chair and a half-eaten piece of toast in his other hand as he watched his clones running around and preparing everyone else's meals.

As was the case yesterday, Toph was struggling to stay awake while eating her breakfast at the seat across from Naruto. Her head was propped up on her elbows and there was barely a flicker of sentience in her toad-like eyes. She had been chewing on the same mouthful of cereal for the past ten minutes and was showing no signs of swallowing her meal anytime soon.

Chichi, on the other hand, was a hive of activity in the seat to Naruto's right. She was constantly asking Naruto what he wanted her to do in whatever potential scenarios she could think of, writing down notes in the notepad that she carried in her utility belt.

"And if the house should burn down?" Chichi looked at Naruto, "Not that I am expecting that to happen, of course."

"I trust your judgement," Naruto tiredly repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I don't see why you're so concerned. You have your laws to serve as a guideline right? So long as you and Toph are alive and healthy when we get back, that's all that matters."

"This is my first real role of responsibility," Chichi nodded. "As the senior Exchange student it is my duty to uphold the laws and morals of this household in your absence as stated in Article…"

"Listen," Naruto rubbed his temples, "I think you and Toph are going to get along a lot better if you just chill out a little. Sure laws are important, but knowing when to use discretion is also vital."

"Discretion?" Chichi narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me I should break the law?"

"No, of course not," Naruto sighed. "I'm just asking you to use your common sense, alright?"

"Of course. You'll have no issues from me," Chichi nodded. "As a future police cadet, I will behave in a manner that is both courteous and above reproach."

"Er… Sure." Naruto yawned as Kaguya entered the room, looking worse for wear. "Morning Kaguya-chan."

"That's Kaguya-sama to you," Kaguya grumbled as she sat down at the head of the table, this chair being small enough compared to the one in the dining room for her to be able to seat herself without Naruto's help. "I apologize for my late awakening."

"Late?!" Toph grumbled. "It's like half past six or something!"

"Feeling better today?" Naruto asked, ignoring Toph's outburst. He then proceeded to offer Kaguya a small glass of carrot juice, which she accepted.

"Why?" Kaguya narrowed her eyes distrustfully.

"Don't you remember what happened last night?" Chichi asked. "When this… delinquent poisoned you?"

"Poisoned?" Kaguya glared at the half asleep Bullywug. "She tried to kill me?"

"Not kill, no," Naruto assured her as she sat down. "It was just a harmless prank that we'll leave in the past, okay?"

"If I was poisoned then it was clearly your fault, my incompetent servant." Kaguya frowned. "Testing all of my food and drink is a servant's duty."

"I was busy on the farm," Naruto protested. "You know, doing the job you asked me to do."

"Oh, if only you could create some clones or something," Kaguya replied sarcastically as she rubbed her forehead testily. She had had a slight headache since she had woken up, likely a side effect from whatever this "poison" the Vulgar Spider mentioned was.

"… Well, I'm not sure the poison would affect my clones, or me for that matter, thanks to my… er… tenant." Naruto laughed weakly. "I guess that would make me a crappy food tester, huh?"

"At last something we agree on." Kaguya has the smallest of smiles.

"Hey is that a smile?" Naruto said, giving an exaggerated shock.

"Idiotic servant," Her usual scowl returned and she sipped her drink.

"What did you mean by tenant?" Chichi asked curiously.

"Oh, well…" Naruto laughed weakly. _'How do I explain you?'_

' _ **Simple. Tell her that you have the greatest bijuu in existence inside your head and that I grace you with amazing abilities, just because I'm nice like that.'**_

' _So tell her I hear voices that give me powers.'_ Naruto chuckled.

' _ **Well when you put it like that…'**_ Kurama chuckled as he settled down.

"Back where I'm from… A ritual was performed on me as a child," He replied evasively. "It makes me pretty resilient to poisons and diseases." _'At least when a certain fox can be bothered to heal me that is.'_

' _ **If it isn't fatal and you deserved it, then you can deal with it yourself.'**_ Kurama remarked. _**'You won't learn anything if I'm constantly babying you.'**_

Ignoring the giant fox in his head, Naruto returned his attention to Kaguya as Chichi tried to digest this fact.

"Since you were asleep yesterday, I guess you missed the delivery." Naruto jerked his head at some of the new furniture in the kitchen area.

"Delivery?" Kaguya paused in her drinking. "I had noticed that the house appears to be fully furnished now. Admittedly not to my high standards, but at least we are finally starting to get somewhere."

"Yeah, this guy called Ken Minoru came in a large vehicle like the one that hit me when we first arrived," Naruto explained as he finished off his toast.

"One does not need to know the name of a courier. They are a servant and should be addressed as such." Kaguya replied simply. "As with you my talkative servant, they are merely people performing a duty, although one would imagine this courier performs his duties more admirably than you."

"For all your talk of being a good noble, you sure don't seem to treat the lower classes very well," Chichi pointed out.

"On the contrary, if I were to address them familiarly, they would begin to think that there was a chance for a relationship between us greater than that of master and servant." Kaguya calmly responded. "Is that not the cruelest punishment, to fill a servant's head with dreams of a paradise that would be forever denied to them? This way they don't grow too attached to me and everyone knows where they stand."

"Did… Did you just try to justify not knowing my name?" Naruto blinked.

"I know your name, I just never use it in order to maintain the correct social distance between us." Kaguya explained.

"Then what is it?" Naruto challenged.

"...Asura's inheritor."

"Try again."

"...Handler-san?"

"Nope. It's Naruto… Na-Ru-To… Say it with me." Naruto prompted.

"It would be improper of me to fill your head with delusions of grandeur." Kaguya patted him patronizingly on the arm. "Servant is the only name you need to hear me say."

"Whatever you say Kaguya-chan." Naruto shook his head with a wry smile.

"That's…" Kaguya cut herself off. "I suppose I shouldn't waste my breath. Well then, was there anything else of significance that I missed?"

"Oh right," Naruto nodded. "We have to go and visit a doctor."

"We?" Kaguya frowned. "I am the very pinnacle of perfect health." She paused as she regarded her missing arm. "Well… The parts of me that I still have anyway."

"It's just a check up."

"Check up?"

"Well… They do all sorts of checks on you to make sure you're healthy."

"I know I am healthy." Kaguya replied somewhat sullenly. "I don't see why I must go."

"Because apparently we need to?" Naruto was somewhat confused by Kaguya's attitude. "I mean, I used to have check ups all the time." He smirked. "I always had a clean bill of health!"

' _ **Except the time you nearly destroyed every nerve in your arm thanks to the Rasenshuriken and the time you had a hole in your chest from a Chidori and the time…'**_

' _I got better didn't I?"_

' _ **Thanks to my other half, yes.'**_

"I… I just don't see the need." Kaguya fidgeted with her kimono. "No doubt they will try and prescribe some fake medicine consisting of… of… newt's eyes and tails of rats and…"

"Sounds like you've had a bad experience with a witch doctor," Chichi remarked. "Modern medicine is far more advanced. It's also a requirement of the Exchange program to ensure that no diseases that could mutate and harm a Liminal are present in a host or student's body as per Article…" Chichi paused.

"Article what?" Kaguya asked.

"Oh… I… I'm so used to people cutting me off." Chichi looked embarrassed. "Well it's said in Article…"

"Who cares!" Toph exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. I mean, they only stab you with like a hundred needles."

"Hundred needles?" Kaguya paled slightly.

"Sounds like Haku all over again," Naruto muttered as he shivered slightly at the memory.

"Well, you need to get all your vaccinations in order," Chichi admitted. "But a hundred needles is a bit of an exaggeration. There's also the blood tests."

"Vaccinations?" Kaguya frowned. "What are they?"

"Oh, it's where they basically inject a disease into you to make your body better able to fight it," Naruto oversimplified.

"They… They will infect me?" Kaguya suddenly stood up and set her hand on her hip with a defiant look on her face. "I refuse."

"It's a very weak strain of the disease, so the chances of you getting sick are slim to none," Chichi tried to reassure Kaguya but the former Goddess was having none of it.

"Besides if you want to stay here you need to keep your medical records updated." Smith added as she walked into the kitchen.

"Sunglasses?!" Kaguya jumped at the sudden arrival of the coordinator.

"How long have you been here?" Naruto blinked.

Smith smiled as she waved an empty coffee cup, which Naruto begrudgingly filled. "Only a few minutes. I figured that, since I was in the neighborhood, I would come and pick you up personally."

"In the neighborhood?" Naruto deadpanned. "We live in the middle of nowhere."

"Details, details," Smith happily sipped her coffee. "Ah that's the stuff. So, are you all ready for a day in the city?"

"I am not going." Kaguya declared. "I am perfectly healthy and there is no way you can force me to visit some charlatan who will claim he can cure all my ills."

"Okay," Smith shrugged as she leaned back in her chair.

"Wait, seriously?" Naruto blinked.

"I can't force her to go to her medical," There was an evil glint in her eyes as she lowered her glasses to stare at Kaguya. "But if she doesn't follow the rules of the program then I guess I'll have to deport her home."

"Good luck with that," Kaguya remarked smugly.

"Of course, if that isn't possible, she'll have to spend her time in a prison cell until we can." Smith continued in the same tone of voice, "A dark, damp cell that's probably full of rats. There'll be no special treatment and no Servant-kun to help you out."

"I… I guess I have no choice. I shall go to this… check up" Kaguya looked away, frustrated at being outmaneuvered so easily. "But I protest strongly about this."

"Protest noted!" Smith returned to her usual demeanor, her glasses back in place. "So everyone ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Naruto glanced at Chichi. "Are you sure you don't want me to leave some clones behind?"

"I'm perfectly capable of running this household," Chichi nodded her head. "I promise you everything will be fine."

"And you Toph?"

"...Can I go back to bed?" She grumbled.

"I guess?"

"Sweet." Toph slowly trudged towards her room.

"Well if that's that." Ms. Smith finished off the last of the toast and drained her coffee before standing up. "Let's go then. The sooner we get your medicals finished, the sooner we can be back here. I'm hoping that we'll be back for lunch time." She turned to Chichi, "So be sure to have the oven all warmed up."

Naruto shook his head as he followed Smith out of the house, Kaguya sullenly trailing behind them, with her army of bunnies looking just a reluctant as her. Naruto had to admit it was kind of funny, although he figured laughing would only make Kaguya's mood worse so bit his tongue.

There was a limousine waiting for them outside the farm and Kaguya and Smith climbed into the car, while Kaguya's bunnies started to jump at the open door, but were unable to get inside. They all paused to look at Naruto as a group.

"W-what?" Naruto fidgeted under their intense gaze. "Fine, here," He kneeled down and held out a hand, the bunnies using it as a platform to leap into the car.

"Er…" Smith fidgeted awkwardly as the small army of bunnies started to fill the car. "What are you doing?"

"The bunnies follow Kaguya everywhere," Naruto pointed out.

"You can't take them to the city."

"I can't leave them behind," Kaguya looked shocked.

"Haven't you heard that bunnies die from loneliness?" Naruto shook his head at Smith.

"Wait, how am I the bad guy here?" Smith sighed. "Fine, you can bring one rabbit."

"One?" Kaguya frowned. "How about the servant follows us on foot and I take them all?"

"I can't ask Naruto to run the entire way," Smith rubbed her forehead. "Besides who's going to look after them while you're having your medical? You can't let wild animals into a clean working environment. Who knows what diseases they might be carrying?"

"How dare you," Kaguya scowled. "These rabbits are as clean and pure as my noble self."

"Even so," Smith sighed. "I'll look after only one and no more."

"Very well," Kaguya glanced at the rabbits who looked at each other before the majority leapt out of the car, leaving a solitary rabbit that sat on her lap like a guard dog, with the princess idly rubbing its head with her lone hand. "You may join us in this carriage servant."

"Gee, thanks," Naruto grumbled as he sat next to Kaguya, feeling the burning stare of the former goddess and her minion. "What now?"

"How highly you must think of yourself, to seat yourself next to my noble being. Do you think yourself my consort to sit so close to me?"

"...Fine," Naruto sighed and moved to a seat opposite Kaguya and next to Smith as the vehicle pulled away from the farm. "So…" He glanced at Smith who was sipping her new cup of coffee that she had gotten from...somewhere. "Do you personally oversee all of your charges?"

"Of course not, there are far too many," Smith waved a hand dismissively. "You're a special case though, Servant-kun."

"He is my servant not yours," Kaguya remarked dryly. "As incompetent as he is, he does have some redeeming characteristics."

"Oh, getting worried that I might steal him?" Smith chuckled.

"Hardly," Kaguya smirked. "After all, there is no way that he would abandon his duties to me. I am his noble master after all. Without me his life would have little to no meaning."

' _I really want to say something here.'_ Naruto bit his lip.

' _ **Didn't you say you were going to try and get along with her since this was mostly your fault?'**_

"I really hate my inability to go back on my promises sometimes," Naruto sighed.

"I'm pleasantly surprised to hear you have some honor to your word." Kaguya nodded at him. "Keeping to your word is a noble habit and It is good to see that there is a flicker of respectability in your soul. Maybe there is some truth to your claims of noble blood, even if it is a far less noble bloodline than my own. Watered down severely one might say."

"You know, sometimes I can't tell if you're trying to compliment me or insult me," Naruto chuckled. "So I'm choosing to take that as a compliment."

"It was a compliment, although the very fact you needed that clarifying makes me think that your intelligence is even more lacking than I first suspected." She paused. "That was not a compliment."

"I figured." Naruto sighed heavily as he looked out of the window at the passing scenery. "I wonder if Chichi and Toph have burnt the house down yet?"

* * *

 _Back at the Farm_

Chichi finished washing the dishes with an irritated sigh. She liked to think she was being fair when she divided up the chores that Naruto had left for them. She had evenly split the workload between the two of them, but Toph had headed straight back to her room after Naruto had left and Chichi hadn't heard a peep from her since.

"I don't want to cause conflict, as a police officer I should be all about conflict resolution," Chichi mumbled as she cleaned up the last of the plates. "But at the same time I can't just sit here and let her get away with not doing her share of the work. Handler-san left me in charge…" Nodding to herself, she scuttled towards Toph's room. "I'll just remind her of her chores in a reasonable and calm manner. That should prevent any possible aggression from her." Clearing her throat, she knocked several times on Toph's door.

"Piss off copper." A muffled groan sounded from the room.

"I'm just reminding you about your tasks for the day," Chichi crossed her arms and took a deep breath to calm herself. Something about the Toad-Type Bullywug just got under her skin. "You still have your share of the work to do."

"Bite me."

"... Handler-san left me in charge and I think he would want you to finish those tasks." Chichi continued.

"Ya gotta be kidding me?" Toph snorted with laughter. "He left _you_ in charge? Ya must be mistaken. Clearly I'm the boss 'round these parts." She opened her door to smirk at Chichi. She was wearing her chest bindings and her pants. Chichi could see her jacket and hat tossed on one of the many piles of miscellaneous clothing that dotted her room.

"I have seniority," Chichi calmly responded.

"What? Ya saying that 'cause you're an old hag I should listen to ya? Hah! Why don't ya sit your fat ass down and get off my case? You're not the boss of me."

"I was left in charge…" Chichi repeated, slowly getting angry. "And your chores are quite simple tasks. If you just put some effort in for an hour then they would be done and I wouldn't have to be here interrupting your… slumming." She pulled a face at the state of Toph's room. "Good gods, how do you live in that squalor? More to the point, how did you even get that room that messy?"

"I know, impressive ain't it?" Toph smirked.

"I wouldn't be proud of such a mess if I were you." Chichi gestured to the piles of clothing tossed around the room. "It's a miracle you don't have rats in that all that."

"Nah, I tried but I could only get Narf to live in here." Toph sounded somewhat disappointed.

"Narf?"

"Ya not seen him yet? Yo! Narf!" Toph yelled into her room and one of the piles suddenly moved as a rat wearing a small red collar crawled out of it, wrinkling its nose as Chichi who stared in mute horror. "This is Narf. Say hi Narf."

The rat wrinkled its nose at Chichi before returning to the pile of clothes that were its home.

"You… You have to tidy this room immediately! That rat is a health and safety violation! It could be carrying all sorts of diseases!"

"Narf's cool!" Toph defended her new friend. "You're not gonna take him away from me ya hear?!"

"Wait until Handler-san hears about this." Chichi glared at Toph with all six angry eyes. "I was trying to be nice and get along, but it is clear you only respect power. Very well then. You have one hour to complete your tasks and if you haven't… I will make you do them."

"Get stuffed you tyrannosaur pig!"

"Do you mean tyrannical?"

"Fight me!" Toph reached for her bokken.

"One hour." Chichi repeated before leaving the room.

"Yeah ya better run!" Toph yelled after her before slamming the door and returning to her bed. "Damn who does that bitch think she is?! Thinks she's _my_ boss or something? Ha! That's a laugh, ain't it Narf?" She glanced at the rat, who clambered onto her bed and sat next to her. "That's it, I'm fed up of this bitch. There's gotta be something fun around these parts. Let's blow this joint." She threw her coat over her shoulders, tapping on her pocket to which Narf obediently clambered into and opened the window in her room. "Smell ya later bitch!" Toph flipped the bird in the general direction of where she assumed Chichi would be before leaping out of the window and straight into a net. "What the hell?!"

"How predictable." Chichi remarked from her spot on top of the roof.

"Ya bitch!" Toph squirmed in the netting. "Lemme go!"

"It is against the laws of the program for you to leave your assigned residence without your handler." Chichi paused. "I would quote the article number, but I've no doubt you don't care."

"I'd have thought ya would be happy to see the last of me you… you fetishist copper!"

"Fascist." Chichi corrected with a slight blush. "Fetishist means something completely different. While I personally don't care very much for you, you are Handler-san's responsibility. If you were to escape, then it would look bad on him. He's assisting me with my dream, so the least I can do is assist him with his work."

"Fight me!" Toph tried to kick her way out of the net as Chichi sat watching her. "When did ya set this thing up anyway?"

"I have a great deal of experience with hunting and the first rule of hunting is to think like your prey. I knew you would either try and attack me to try and prove your superiority or simply try and escape your responsibilities like the delinquent you are."

"Tch, ya think you're all that don't ya?" Toph gave up struggling. "Lemme go then!"

"No." Chichi frowned. "Consider this your punishment for not doing your chores. I'll let you down in half an hour. In the meantime I want you to think about why you're stuck in that net."

"'Cause your a fat-assed, spider pig!" Toph yelled.

"We don't have to be against each other," Chichi sighed. "I have no desire to fight with you, but we have to meet each other halfway."

"I ain't making any sort of deal with your kind." Toph growled.

"That's a shame." Chichi sighed and tried to recall some of the instructions from her situation defusal books. _'Step 1: Make it clear to the individual that you share some similarities. This is vital for forming a bond of trust'_. "I understand that being far away from home can be stressful and I feel we would both benefit if we put our aggression to one side and…"

"What? Ya wanna kiss and be all buddy buddy or something?" Toph snorted. "I don't need no friends. I'm perfectly fine without ya sticking your nose into my business. I never needed nobody ya hear?!"

"I give up!" Chichi threw her hands into the air and left. "I'll leave you to your thoughts then."

"I don't need nobody." Toph angrily muttered. "I got myself and that's all I need." She waited until Chichi had left before nudging her pocket. "But you're cool Narf. You're my minion ya hear?"

The rat poked its head from her jacket and started to nibble on the ropes holding her in the air.

"Yeah… you're pretty cool." Toph smirked.

* * *

 _Back With Naruto and Kaguya_

"And we are here!" Smith sighed happily as the limousine pulled up to her office. "And not a moment too soon." She chuckled as she indicated to her empty cup of coffee.

"This is the building where you took us after we first arrived here," Naruto's eyes lit up with recognition as he clambered out of the car.

"Indeed, this is where I spend most of my days. Undervalued and underpaid." She sighed. "Still, can't spend too much time complaining, since it won't achieve anything and this job is too demanding for me to waste my time on it."

"Servant." An angry Kaguya called from the vehicle. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh right," Naruto opened the door and helped her out.

"It appears you have much to learn before you are truly a competent servant." Kaguya remarked, her rabbit perched on her shoulder and somehow managed to effect the same look of disapproval. "If only Usagi was humanoid, I would not have to suffer such incompetence."

"Usagi?"

"Usagi," Kaguya gestured to the rabbit on her shoulder.

"You named it?"

"No. The rabbits name themselves and have told me their names." Kaguya remarked as she walked into the building, leaving a confused Naruto and Smith.

"So… She can talk to the rabbits?" Ms. Smith glanced at Naruto who shrugged before following Kaguya.

"I guess?" Naruto opened the door for Kaguya, "I mean, she seems to spend plenty of time talking to them, so…"

"It was a joke," Kaguya sighed. "It appears I expected too much of your mental capabilities once again. I must apologize. I forget that inside that large head is a small brain due to the shear thickness of your skull."

"I know that one was an insult," Naruto chuckled, somewhat used to it by now.

"Ah… He learns." Kaguya remarked with a dry smile.

"Ah she did it again!" Naruto chuckled. "You _do_ have an expression other than annoyance."

"Maybe if you could do your duties, I wouldn't be annoyed all the time and actually have the opportunity show an emotion other than annoyance." Kaguya frowned again, although there was no actual anger in her eyes.

"I walked right into that one didn't I?" Naruto shook his head as Ms. Smith lead them into the main entrance. There was a large reception area, with several balconies from higher floors allowing a view of a large statue in the plaza across the street, depicting what looked like a human shaking hands with a catgirl.

"Two years ago the Liminal representatives and our government signed the first laws that would become the basis for the Exchange program," Ms. Smith noticed Naruto looking at the statue, "That statue was built to commemorate the signing. Before then, governments had tried to keep the existence of Liminals from the public. Now everything is out in the open, but the problem is stories about Liminals have existed for so long that they're ingrained into the public mind, even if they were just viewed as fairy tales before. The exchange program is supposed to help disprove all these commonly held beliefs and show humans that Liminals are people too. Hopefully one day the program won't be needed and humanity and Liminals can live together in peace."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "By understanding each we can truly achieve peace."

"The day that happens is the day I will willingly eat Usagi." Kaguya scoffed. "Mankind cannot achieve peace. It is against their inherent nature."

"Wow, someone has a low opinion of humanity." Ms. Smith chuckled. "Not that I can blame you. The things I've seen in this job… Still, I want to believe that it's possible. If not in my lifetime, then maybe in the not so distant future."

"A jaded idealist?" Kaguya smiled faintly. "In about a thousand years or so… Maybe you would understand my view."

"A thousand years?" Ms. Smith joked. "I'd like to think I'd be in my next life at least by then… Although knowing my luck, I would get my brain put in a robot or something and have to work for even less money than I am now, this time without breaks." She sighed. "Getting back on track, let's get you to your medicals before you have me converting to nihilism."

"Eh?" Naruto and Kaguya shared a confused expression.

"Basically a belief that life is a dark, bleak and pointless."

"This nihilism cult sounds like they get it." Kaguya nodded.

"No. Life is full of awesome things!" Naruto protested. "Like ramen and precious people. Love and happiness and stuff like that."

"Love and happiness," Kaguya shook her head with a wistful smile. "Sometimes I envy you."

"Really?"

"It must be so pleasant to be unburdened by intelligence."

"That was definitely an insult." Naruto paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" Smith paused in filling out some forms.

"Ah, I just felt like someone was watching me," Naruto laughed before returning his attention to Smith.

* * *

 _On the balcony_

"He nearly saw me!" Manako gasped as she leapt back from the balcony, bumping into her zombie teammate as she retreated from his sight. "Ah sorry." She bowed as she turned to face Zombina. Doppel was sitting on her hair at a table next to them.

"So he's here then?" Zombina grinned darkly. "The bastard who made it so we had to do all that damned paperwork without any help?"

"He doesn't seem like a bad person. Maybe we should just ask him and he'll apologize…" Manako started.

"No… He must be punished! Do you know I missed the Slasher marathon last night! And I forgot to record it so that's an opportunity lost forever!" Zombina clenched her fist angrily.

"Don't you have all those films on Blu-ray anyway?" Doppel inquired.

"Oh yeah," Zombina grinned. "Collector's edition and everything! But that's not the point! He must be punished."

"Funny you should mention that," Doppel got out of her seat. "Because I have a plan."

"Oh?" Zombina grinned.

"Listen up, here's what we'll do. I'll take the form of the doctor assigned to perform this Uzumaki-san's tests and you'll be my nurse. We get to decide what tests he goes through, and we'll make them...less than pleasant." Doppel smirked.

"Ohoh! I like the sound of this! But what about the real doctor?"

"That's where I need you Manako-chan." Doppel smiled.

"Eh? Me?" Manako fidgeted. "I don't know… I mean I don't think that Uzumaki-san is a bad person and I don't think…"

"Don't worry," Doppel reassured the Monoeye, "All you have to do is stall the doctor long enough for me and Zombina to punish this guy. I'm not asking you to do anything wrong."

"I don't know," Manako bit her lip.

"I mean, I'm just asking you as a friend so if you don't want to… I understand." Doppel sighed. "I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd be willing to help out your friends in their time of need but I guess we weren't as close as I thought."

"It's not that I don't think we're close, it's just…" Manako started.

"Excellent, then you know what to do." Doppel interrupted, patting Manako on the back. "Come Zombina, we need to go get ready."

"But...but…" Manako weakly protested as Zombina and Doppel left. "Ah… They've gone… I'm sorry Uzumaki-san." She sighed sadly as she peered over the balcony again, watching Kaguya hand a rabbit over to Ms. Smith, before Kaguya started following one of the many assistants towards one room while Naruto was lead in another direction. "I can't let Doppel-chan down."

* * *

 _Back at the Farm_

Chichi was laying in a hammock, specially installed in the main living room to allow her to watch TV and relax, thinking about her actions earlier. She was thinking about her confrontation with Toph, still angry at her for being so stubborn.

"I mean… Is it really too much to ask her to co-operate with me?" She frowned as she watched the crime drama she was watching come to an end. She tended to find the end of the cases to be exciting, although she suspected it may be her hunting instincts coming into play. That feeling when everything clicked and you knew you had your prey right where you wanted them, there were few feelings that could match it. Whether it be catching your own prey to eat or collecting all the evidence and watching a criminal go to jail, there was something about seeing your hard work pay off that appealed to Chichi.

Sighing in frustration, she turned the TV off and decided to check on Toph. "Hopefully by now she's learned her lesson and is willing to be rational. ...Fat chance," Chichi shook her head, freezing as she came to where the net was hanging. "Damn it."

The net was quite clearly empty and closer investigation revealed a small section of netting missing wear the ropes had appeared to be chewed through. Clearly Toph had managed to escape from the trap, possibly by having her pet vermin chew a way out of the net for her.

"I don't know whether I should be impressed or annoyed at her refusal to give up." Chichi sighed as she looked under the net for signs of a trail, lowering her upper body to the ground and gently brushing her hand against the floor. "Hm… She hasn't been gone long." She said before quickly following the trampled grass that lead to the forest on the outskirts of the farm, noting every snapped branch and small area of disturbed earth where the Toad-Type had used her powerful legs to hurl herself forward.

"Credit where it's due, she can certainly move," Chichi smiled to herself as she quickly scurred through the forest, noting with some interest the intricacies of Toph's trail. It was clear to the Arachne that Toph was used to being chased, as her trail was deliberately designed to be difficult to follow and only her experience as a tracker allowed her to follow. Little things such as Toph doubling back and occasionally running across the ground then running back up in the trees gave so many false trails that Chichi had to admit she was concerned as to why Toph was so good at avoiding pursuits. It didn't help that there appeared to be something else in the forests, a large predator if Chichi had to guess. Still where the large creatures trail met Toph's, it quickly diverged, as if the creature was deliberately trying to avoid Toph.

"Probably her smell," Chichi thought aloud. "I wonder if she's even bathed since she moved in."

Still as good as Toph was, hunting was in Chichi's genes and eventually the trail started to become more obvious, a sign of Toph's fatigue or overconfidence. Either way, the long legged Arachne couldn't help but smile victoriously as she came across a dishevelled looking Toph sitting on a fallen tree talking to her rat, who was perched in her outstretched hand. Her other hand held her bokken which she was resting on her jacket. Chichi decided to wait behind the foliage to observe until she found the right moment to strike.

"Heh," Toph wiped her forehead. "Y'know… I actually thought this would've been harder. I guess the damn fat ass was too busy stuffing her face to chase after me. I'll bet an ass like that must make hell of a lot of noise crashing through this place."

Chichi twitched at the reference to her abdomen, but continued waiting for the right moment to capture the oblivious Toad-Type.

"Still, gotta give her credit." Toph mumbled. "Setting up that net and figuring out what I woulda done… She's probably gonna make a good copper. Which means she is gonna be a giant pain in my ass." Toph stood up and stretched out, not noticing Chichi slowly make her way out from the treeline towards her back. "Maybe I'll hang around out here until the boss man comes back. And he'll be all 'You had one job and you failed' and she'll be all 'Oh no I was wrong. Toph-sama is clearly more suited to be in charge' then I'll be like, 'Ya called?' and she'll be all 'Oh Toph-sama I was wrong to ever believe myself better than you when I am clearly a lesser species and a lesser person.' It'll be sweet right?" Toph stood up and was about to step forward, but before she realized what was happening, Chichi had snuck up and grabbed her by the ankles, quickly clambering to the top of a tree and holding her airborne. It all happened so fast that Toph had dropped her bokken out of surprise.

"H-hey!" Toph tried to struggle out of Chichi's grip, but without her bokken and her legs, the most powerful parts of her body, held firm in Chichi's hands, there was little she could do.

"You're violating the terms of your stay," Chichi remarked as she peered down at the furious toad-girl.

"What the hell? How'd ya find me?!"

"Hunting is in my blood," Chichi remarked calmly.

"Tch," Toph ceased her flailing, "So ya caught me copper. Ya gonna drag me back to the farm and force me to do your dirty work?"

"Chores are not dirty work." Chichi frowned.

"Whatever," Toph spat at the ground below.

"Why did you leave the farm?"

"Because you're a pain in my ass. You're just riding my back constantly with your little laws and crap. I hate being told what to do."

"Do you think I enjoy lecturing you? This is for your own good."

"Ha! Not the first time I heard that," Toph smirked. "But I gotta say, ya made a rookie mistake, ya copper wannabe."

"Pardon?" Chichi frowned.

"Ya didn't check your prisoner for weapons." Toph smirked as Narf ran out of her pants leg and bit Chichi's hand, causing the Arachne to let go of one of Toph's legs. This was enough for the Toad-Type to kick out at the tree and yank her other ankle out of Chichi's grasp, landing at the base of the tree, kick her bokken into the air and snatching it with a smug grin. "Better luck next time sucker!" She laughed as she set off, leaping away from Chichi and deeper into the forest.

"That… delinquent!" Chichi bit her lip as she checked her finger. Fortunately the rat hadn't broken the surface of the chitin, more pinching her than biting her. Still, it had hurt and more than the physical pain there was the blow to Chichi's pride. She narrowed her eyes and quickly resumed her pursuit. Her sole focus right now was capturing Toph and returning her home. She would be sure to fully list the laws she had violated and present them to Naruto. "Maybe then Handler-san will do something about her."

"Ya never gonna catch m- _oomph_!" Toph's victorious cry was cut off when the Arachne intercepted her out of the air. "What?!"

"Stop struggling!" Chichi ordered as the two grappled as they soared through the air. WIthout anything to kick against, Toph's impressive leg strength was next to useless and Chichi was able to twist her torso incase she tried to use her body as springboard. Chichi had also studied enough police holds to be able to pin Toph's arms in such a way that she couldn't wield her bokken.

"Look out for the tree, ya crazy copper!"

"What?" Chichi's eyes widened. "Oh no… Not again."

"Again? Wait, what are you- _argh_!" Toph started to say before wrapped her body around Toph's and the two of them crashed into a tree and bounced towards the ground, skidding towards the forest's edge.

"I keep forgetting about the landing…" Chichi groaned, rubbing her head and secondary abdomen as she struggled to stand back up. "I did the same thing in my test against Handler-san. I get so focused on my goal I tend to forget about the little details" She rubbed her arms. "Are you okay Toph?"

"I'm fine," Toph scowled at the Arachne as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Why'd ya do that?"

"Try and capture you?" Chichi responded, finally having righted herself.

"No… Not that. Ya protected me from the impact."

"You were in my custody." Chichi shrugged.

"Heh," Toph chuckled. "Ya crazy ya know? Still… I'll admit that was pretty badass. I mean, not by my standards, but for a lowly copper…. Not bad."

"Thanks?" Chichi brushed herself off. "Where are we?" She looked around, seeing a familiar looking barn just past the edge of the trees.

"Are we back at the base?" Toph snorted. "Wow, that was real round trip. Tell ya what. Ya won this round. I'll do my chores."

"Excellent," Chichi nodded as the two of them made their way out of the forest, side by side. "There are several rooms that need vacuuming, you need to clean your room and there's also the windows on the first floor that still need to be cleaned and…"

"Er… How about I focus on my room and you worry about the rest of that crap?"

"...Deal." Chichi nodded, not wanting to potentially start another argument after all that had just happened.

"Er…" A third voice interrupted the two Liminals.

"Huh?" Toph and Chichi turned to face in the direction of the voice and paused.

Stood before them was a blue skinned giant humanoid, standing at what appeared to be about 7 feet tall. His slightly open mouth revealed fanged teeth, with his slight underbite having two of his fangs extending out and over his top lip. Adding to his bestial appearance were two small horns protruding from his forehead which was crowned with short navy blue hair, maybe about an inch or two in length. His body was covered in large muscles, as if he liked to work out or spent a lot of time lifting heavy objects. This strange Liminal was dressed in dark green overalls and tan work boots, but what had Toph and Chichi's full attention was the massive scythe that the figure was holding in its gloved hands.

There was an uneasy moment as the three Liminals started at each other uncertainly.

' _Is he a criminal trying to break into the house?'_ Chichi narrowed her eyes.

' _What the hell? Does this guy think he can take me on?! He must have heard of the great Toph-sama's new gang and thought he could beat me and claim my power for his own!'_ Toph pointed her bokken at the giant who seemed to shy away, a startled expression appearing on his face.

"I don't know who ya are but know this, I'm the almighty Toph-sama and you're gonna get a good beating ya bastard!"

"Please don't hurt me!"

"...Eh?!" Chichi and Toph blinked as the figure dropped his scythe and bowed his head to them.

* * *

 _Back With Naruto_

The waiting rooms of the Liminal-Human Relations department were much like every other waiting room in existence. Full of uncomfortable chairs and old magazines, all of which Naruto had now read as he waited for a doctor to call him in for his tests. Smith had warned him that it could take a while to get seen, but he hadn't quite expected it to take this long. He glared angrily at the door to the doctor's office. He had been staring at the door in hopes that maybe he could somehow will the doctor to come out already.

' _ **Okay, now this is just sad. You've only been here thirty minutes.'**_

' _It's been two hours since we left the farm. That's more than enough time for Toph and Chichi to have destroyed it while fighting.'_

' _ **Well why didn't you leave any clones?'**_

' _I… I want to be able to trust them.'_

' _ **... Then why are you so worried. Besides, at least you don't have to put up with Kaguya. Imagine how bad she'll be if she's waiting in similar conditions.'**_

' _You're right.'_

' _ **When am I not?'**_

"Uzumaki-san?" The door opened and a nurse stepped out. It was Zombina, though Naruto didn't know this, and she was wearing a pink nurse's uniform that went to her mid thigh and had a short slit on one side. The top half of the dress seemed a bit tight on her, as it was visibly straining against her bust. She also had a pink nurse's cap with a red cross on it, white flats, and a stethoscope around her neck.

"Er…" Naruto stood up, trying not to look at the nurse's legs. _'Kurama… Is it me or is that skirt really short?'_

' _ **Maybe that's normal for this place?'**_

' _Ah… good point.'_ Naruto nodded. _'And all the stitches?'_

' _ **She's a nurse right? That means she's like that Kabuto fellow. Maybe self experimentation is just something these medical types love to do?'**_

' _Baa-chan never did anything like that.'_

' _ **Maybe her precise chakra control is the result of an experiment she performed? Plus she has that weird regenerative ability.'**_

' _That's true, I guess,'_ Naruto conceded as he was lead into the doctor's office by Zombina. Inside an elderly man stood waiting. He had a full beard that merged with his full white hair and had a kindly look to his face as he peered at Naruto. Gesturing to a seat, the doctor put his hands in his lab coat and waited for Naruto to sit down.

' _So he's fallen for my disguise,'_ Zombina thought as Naruto sat down in the chair.. _'Still… I wish that Doppel-chan had found a proper nurse's uniform for me rather than this sexy dress up version!'_ She tugged at the bottom of the dress and glared at Doppel, who was disguised as the doctor.

"Ah hello Uzumaki-kun," Doppel spoke in a reassuring tone, her voice changed to a deeper, kindly one to match her altered form. "My name is Dr. Raito. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry for the wait, but all we have to is run a few tests, which shouldn't take too long."

"Let's get this over with then." Naruto nodded.

"That's the spirit," Doppel nodded to Zombina, who proceeded to leave the room. "Now, the first test is for your stamina. We'll get you to run on a treadmill as fast as you can for as long as possible and record the readings of your vital. Once we've finished that test, we'll move onto the next ones. Ah, thank you nurse," Doppel nodded as Zombina wheeled in a treadmill with a toothy grin.

"So all I have to do is run on it?" Naruto asked as he stepped onto it.

"That's right!" Zombina smirked. _'But this is no ordinary treadmill. This one can go so fast that you'll end up falling over and over again like an idiot!'_

"Whenever you're ready Uzumaki-kun," Doppel smiled as she took a seat and made a show of glancing at her clipboard and writing things down on it, although closer inspection would reveal that she was just doodling pictures.

"Sure," Naruto pressed a button on the control panel on the side of the treadmill indicated by Zombina and started jogging at a steady pace as Zombina started to place several suction pads on his chest in an attempt to be a more convincing nurse. Admittedly this pads weren't plugged into any instruments, but fortunately for Zombina, Naruto didn't think to question it.

"Okay Uzumaki-kun. You seem to be fine at this speed, so we'll start ramping it up alright?" Doppel nodded to Zombina who pressed several buttons on the machine, causing Naruto to increase his pace slightly but still showing next to no signs of exertion.

' _I wish the academy tests were this easy.'_ He thought to himself as he happily maintained his pace. _'Heck I think the starting obstacle course for the academy was harder than this.'_

' _ **This is just a health check up and since I doubt they have many ninja going through these doors, I would be surprised if there were any tests here that actually challenge you. Well, beside intellectually anyway.'**_

 _'Hardy har har.'_

"You seem to be coping quite well," Doppel shot Zombina a look, hinting that she should start to ramp the speed up to unreasonable levels.

' _It's already at 60% and he isn't even panting!'_ Zombina frowned. _'An olympic athlete couldn't keep this up much longer! What's this guy made of?'_ She glared at the oblivious Naruto. _'Still… There's another 40% to go!'_ She hit the max button and resisted the urge to laugh maniacally as the treadmill started to speed up, the inner workings groaning as the belt became a blur of movement, yet all Naruto did was fall into the standard ninja running stance. _'W-what?!'_ Zombina glanced at Doppel who shrugged. _'How's he doing this? He must be focusing all of his efforts into maintaining his speed!'_

' _Say Kurama?'_

' _ **What is it?'**_

' _What should I make for dinner?'_

' _ **I'm in the mood for roast rabbit.'**_

' _I'm pretty sure Kaguya would kill me if I made that.'_

Zombina glanced at Doppel, who was making 'faster' motions at her. _'It can't go any faster! Unless... '_ She frowned as she looked at a bright red button marked TURBO with a little warning label beneath saying _'ONLY FOR SHORT TERM USE. DO NOT USE FOR MORE THAN 2 MINUTES!'_

"How much longer do I have to keep this up for?" Naruto asked.

"Hehehehe… Just two more minutes!" Zombina pressed the button, watching impatiently as the machine screamed under the stress of the speed boost. As it approached two minutes, the machine started vibrating madly, the metal gears glowing red hot and the device struggled to maintain its new speed, but while the machine was looking worse for wear, Naruto was only just starting to look slightly drained.

"Come on!" Zombina hit the turbo button again, _'The plan isn't working!'_ She thought as she hammered the button again until there was a soft click and a sudden bang. The custom treadmill gave a defiant roar before its gears started to spin uncontrollably and pinwheel out of the machine, leaving deep scars in the walls. While Doppel was able to take cover behind the doctor's desk and Naruto was able to leap away from the doomed device, Zombina found herself with a gear stuck in her stomach.

"Are… Are you alright?" Naruto gestured to the red hot gear stuck in the nurse's skin.

"Damn it! I'll bet I'm going to have to pay for this uniform now!" Zombina wailed. "Ah, what a pain!"

"I think you have more to worry about than the uniform..." Naruto blinked. "The gear is impaling your stomach."

"Oh this?" Zombina pulled it out of herself and tossed it to on side. "I'll just stitch it up a bit myself and it'll be fine until I can get someone to look at it."

"You do that nurse." Doppel rubbed her forehead. _'So it looks like the treadmill prank didn't work… Never mind that though, we have more tests up our sleeves!'_

"Did… Did I do something wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Oh no, not at all," Doppel placed a hand on his shoulder. "It appears this machine was just faulty. Don't mind it, we can do this test again later."

"Is your nurse going to be alright?" Naruto looked at the door Zombina had left via, noting the considerable pool of blood she left behind, although her blood had a strange smell to it that Naruto's sensitive nose picked up, but he couldn't really identify.

"Oh she will be fine." Doppel chuckled. "Now, next we have a basic eye test." She pointed to a screen on one of the far walls before pointing to a spot about two meters in front of it. "I want you to stand here and I'll get the test ready."

"Okay," Naruto shrugged as he moved to the spot Doppel had pointed to.

Doppel then turned the light off before moving over to the projector controls and said, "Now then… You can start reading."

The screen suddenly lit up with a series of letters and numbers, which gradually got smaller until they bottom row were barely bigger than a size ten font. Despite this, Naruto read them all perfectly.

"Excellent!" Doppel nodded as a freshly stitched Zombina returned and switch the image to one of what appeared to be a book page in the form of a series of lines of text that gradually decreased in size.

"Now I need you to read this next passage."

"Er… Are you sure?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Read as much as you can." Doppel smiled.

"Well okay then." Naruto cleared his throat. "Leon panted as Samuel unbuttoned his shirt, lust for the younger man clouding his mind. All thoughts of his wife and his family were wiped away by the presence of this muscular adonis…'

' _I can't believe it.'_ Doppel froze as Naruto calmly read out one of Zombina's Yaoi light novels. There wasn't even a hint of embarrassment in his voice. Even as the novel got more and more erotic, he seemed completely unaffected, which was more than could be said for Doppel and her nurse. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn from the intensity of her blush and Zombina seemed to be struggling to hold off a nose bleed.

"And as he felt Samuel within him, he gave a groan as his seed of desire spilt forth and…"

"GARHGH!" Zombina cried out as her fake blood poured from her nose. "No… No more… I can't… I can't take any more…'

"That… That is enough…" Doppel turned the lights back on and hid her blush.

' _Wow, that brings back old memories. It was just like proofreading one of Ero-sennin's old books, except his were a lot more graphic...and had women in them.'_ Naruto chuckled as Zombina and Doppel tried to calm themselves.

"Just one moment," Doppel excused herself and grabbed Zombina's arm before pulling her into the other room.

"What do we do?" Doppel asked. "Nothing we've done seems to be working! I have my pride as a prankster on the line here."

"I have one last test idea… But I warn you, it might be a bit over the top."

"Will it put him in his place for flirting with Tio and keeping her and Smith from helping us with all that paperwork?"

"Yeah... " Zombina picked up a briefcase and opened it, revealing her favorite twin SMGs. "There's no way he'll get out of this one unscathed!"

"Then let's do it." Doppel nodded and lead Zombina back into the room. "It's time for your final test Uzumaki-kun."

"Great!" Naruto stretched. "What do you want me to do?"

"It's just a reflex test, no big deal." Zombina put the briefcase on a desk and pulled the two guns out. "I want you to dodge all these shots, okay? Don't worry, they're harmless rubber bullets. They won't kill you… But they might sting a little~"

"Er… Okay?" Naruto shrugged. "Do you want me to hold back or…"

"Show me your full potential!" Zombina declared. _'You may be fast, but there's no way you're fast enough to dodge automatic fire!'_

"As you wish," Naruto said as he felt his golden cloak surround him.

"DODGE THIS!" Zombina cackled maniacally as she pulled the triggers and started spraying the room with rubber bullets. While Zombina was in fact a crack shot, she much preferred the spray and pray approach to ranged combat, not that a more accurate firing stance would have improved her success by much.

' _This is pretty intense for a test!'_ Naruto scowled as the area he had been stood half a second earlier was filled by rubber bullets that proceeded to shred one of the plants in the corner of the office. As he moved, Zombina tracked his movements although always the barest fraction of a second too slow. When the gun fire finally died down, the room was littered with shredded plant matter and smashed glass.

' _N-no way.'_ Zombina allowed the empty clips to fall from her guns and hit the floor, landing amongst the empty casings that littered the floor around her. _'Not a single hit?'_

' _Well that happened.'_ Doppel poked her head from over the top of the counter she had been using as cover. _'Is Smith 100% sure this guy is human?!'_

"Is that everything?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Ah yes…" Zombina stared in disbelief at the completely untouched Naruto. In fact the only sign of that he had been shot at (besides the devastation in the room) was a slightly pinking of Naruto's face and a very slight sheen of sweat on his brow.

"Well that's a relief," Naruto dropped his cloak and turned to talk to Doppel. "I've never seen weapons like that before, are they common?"

"You've never seen a gun before?" Doppel said, still disguised as Dr Raito.

' _Wait! I just had a genius idea.'_ Zombina grinned, as she unbuttoned the top two buttons of her dress and reached into her cleavage. "Well then I guess it's time for your reward."

"R-reward?" Naruto stammered as he started to blush.

"Here you go," She said as she pulled a flashbang grenade out and placed it in his hand, with the pin already pulled.

"What did you...?" Doppel curiously peered over Naruto's shoulder and regretted the decision almost instantly as the grenade went off, blinding Naruto and Doppel who staggered blind and deaf by the attack.

"Hahaha! Psyche sucker!" Zombina reached under her dress and removed a magazine she kept on a garter and slammed it into one of her guns, pointing it at the helpless Naruto with a shark like smile. "Eat lead! Well rubber but still…" She pulled the trigger.

' _ **Naruto! I'm sensing the intent to attack coming from the nurse! I think she's going to try something else!'**_

' _Crap!'_ Aware of the danger yet completely blinded and deafened by Zombina's grenade, Naruto tried defensively rolling behind the counters that he remembered the doctor hiding behind. Unfortunately he crashed into something and in his panic, grabbed the offending article to shield himself with. As his eyesight and hearing slowly returned, he found himself holding a naked girl. She had dark skin with white hair that travelled along most of her body, and was curiously shielding her more private areas. "Sorry!" He apologized to the girl, before realizing she was dazed, her eyes unfocused as she mumbled incoherently.

"Oops," A sheepish Zombina laughed weakly "Sorry about that Doppel-chan."

"Doppel?" Naruto glanced at the naked dark skinned girl in his hands. "What happened to the doctor? Who's she? And what the hell is going on here?!" He turned to the nurse who laughed uneasily.

"Well…" Zombina smiled, her shark like teeth on display. "I guess that means you pass?" She placed her guns on the table next to the briefcase and idly kicked some of the empty casings away. "Guess I kind of made a mess here, huh? And I still failed to hit you." Her voice dropped to a disappointed mutter.

"Is she going to be alright?" Naruto lifted the dazed shape shifter onto a desk carefully.

"Maybe she will, maybe she won't. I'll let you know after I've looked her over." From the doorway came a voice that until recently had been coming from the disguised Doppel as the real Dr. Raito entered the room.

"Dr. Raito!" Naruto glanced at the new arrival.

"Ehehehe…" Zombina laughed weakly. "So… er… I can explain everything."

"I'm so sorry." Manako peered around his shoulder. "I tried to stall him for as long as possible…"

"Stall him?" Naruto looked between the new arrivals. When he looked at the Monoeye she shied away from his curious stare. _'Isn't that the girl I saw on top of that building when we first got here…'_

"I… I'm sorry." Manako bowed. "I hope I haven't inconvenienced you at all Uzumaki-san."

"Er... It's okay?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head confused, still not entirely sure what was going on.

"Well, it looks like I missed quite the drama," Dr Raito lifted up a picture that had been knocked over, brushing the shattered glass from the frame with a small hanky he took from his pocket before putting it back. "Oh well. Nothing a bit of elbow grease can't resolve." He walked over to the desk where Doppel was still laid, mumbling something about rubber and fire covered blondes. "You see, Doppel-chan is a shapeshifter and I'm afraid you've been the victim of one of her usual pranks." He chuckled as he glanced at the dazed MON member, "Although it appears that she was the one who ended up falling victim to it this time." He shone a light into her eyes and checked her injuries. "With a bit of rest she'll be fine though."

"That's a relief." Naruto glanced at the dazed Doppel before taking off his jacket to lay over her. "What happened to her clothes?"

"She's able to mimic other people, including their clothes," Zombina explained as she took the unconscious shapeshifter from the table. "So… No hard feelings right?" _'Heh a mesh shirt and a pretty impressive figure. Not enough to explain how I couldn't hit him with fully automatic gunfire, but still I wouldn't mind seeing someone with that sort of figure in my books…' "_ Hehehe…" She laughed darkly.

"Why'd you try and prank me anyway?" Naruto said while inching away slightly, feeling unnerved by the strange look in Zombina's eyes.

"Oh just a little friendly payback for saddling us with all the paperwork while you and Tio made googly eyes at each other." She snorted with disgust.

"Googly… What?!" Naruto blinked.

"You know, flirting and all that crap." Zombina waved her arm dismissively. "Saying you wanted her to live with you and all that stuff."

"Flirting? I wasn't flirting with anybody!" Naruto protested. "I was just being polite!"

"Oh!" Zombina's face lit up. "So it looks like Smith played us both for fools," Her lack of anger suggested this wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last time, that Smith got one over her. "Still, it was kind of nice to meet you. I'd heard stuff from the others, but to meet you in person was an experience." She reached out to shake Naruto's hand, only causing her bust to strain against the tight outfit even more. Glancing down she said, "I'll be glad to be out of this thing soon. Come on Manako, let's get out of here."

"R-right," Manako helped her carry the dazed Doppel from the room, pausing only to repeatedly apologize to Naruto.

"Those girls," Dr Raito chuckled. "It looks like they made a real mess of my office huh? Oh well. No harm done. They're good people, even if they can cause a problem every once in awhile. Now then," He checked his clipboard. "Let's get your tests over with shall we?"

"But… I did all the tests." Naruto groaned.

"I'm sorry to say you haven't even started them." Dr Raito smiled warmly. "But don't worry. Most of the tests are quick and easy. Now let' get started."

"I wonder if Kaguya is having a better time than me," Naruto sighed as he sat down, nervously watching as Dr Raito pulled an empty syringe from a drawer and advanced on him with an unnervingly gentle smile.

* * *

 _With Kaguya_

Kaguya fidgeted awkwardly in the room she had been escorted to. While the large chair she was in was comfortable, she couldn't help but feel some fear at the strange implements that were on the desk of the doctor she was sent to see. There were a series of blank forms on the desk and Kaguya tried to decipher them, only to find there were strange words and terms that she couldn't understand.

"Sorry I'm late." A female doctor walked into the room with a half full cup of tea. She had long, black hair that fell down towards her waist that was tied into a single ponytail at her shoulders. The tell-tale signs of age were present on her face and in the slight graying of her hair near her temples. She carried herself proudly, although not to the same degree as Kaguya herself. This was clearly a woman confident in her own abilities. She sat in the chair at the opposite side of the desk to Kaguya and opened up her laptop, typing her password quickly and turned to Kaguya with a gentle smile and half lidded eyes. "It appears the system is running slowly again. Oh well. My name is Chiyu Minoru but you can just call me Chiyu-sensei."

"Minoru?" Kaguya frowned. "That name sounds familiar."

"Maybe you heard my name previously?" Chiyu smiled as she pulled a notepad from her lab coat. "I'm this department's head doctor for dealing with Liminals such as yourself."

"I doubt you have ever seen anything like me before," Kaguya remarked.

"Indeed, your initial DNA tests were quite unusual." Chiyu chuckled. "Do you know that we weren't able to find a match in our database of Liminal DNA? You are a completely new species. Does your species happen to have a name?"

"DNA?" Kaguya frowned.

"It is basically like a genetic identification, a unique biological code inside your body." Chiyu explained. "With it you can prove the parenthood of a person as well as if they are a parent to someone else. Think of it as a sort of natural barcode."

"Barcode?" Kaguya frowned.

"Oh my," Chiyu frowned. "I guess you could say it's unique to you but shares similarities with anyone who is related to you. The stronger the relation, the more in common you would have. This ID is basically in your very blood."

"I see…" Kaguya frowned.

"So about your species?" Chiyu prompted.

"Must I answer?" Kaguya frowned. "My servant informed me this was a health check up, although I assure you my health is unquestionably perfect."

"Your servant? That'd be your handler Uzumaki-san, I assume?"

"That sounds familiar, so that's likely it. His name is rather stupid, and I haven't bothered to memorize it." Kaguya nodded.

Chiyu decided to take that as a yes and decided to continue. "Well back to your question, you don't have to answer anything, but it would help things go alot quicker if you were cooperative."

"Very well then. It is my duty as a noble to enlighten the uncultured masses I suppose. My species?" Kaguya frowned softly. "My people never really had a name for what we were. If I had to give a name, I suppose _Otsutsuki_ would be appropriate. The locals used to refer to me as a Goddess if that helps."

"Not really," Chiyu scribbled something illegible in her notepad. "Are there many Otsutsuki?"

"There used to be a few, although I didn't really get along with them." Kaguya shrugged.

"I see." Chiyu paused. "And how did that make you feel?"

"... These don't sound like health questions," Kaguya frowned.

"Sorry, I also do psychological profiling to check that a candidate is healthy in mind and body. Ms. Smith has signed you off on the mental assessment, but old habits die hard." She chuckled. "Ah the laptop is finally working."

"Laptop?" Kaguya peered at the aforementioned device curiously.

"Ah this is a small computer," Chiyu tilted her head, "Don't you have computers where you came from?"

"I… I do not recall seeing one." Kaguya admitted. "Maybe my servant would know better. I believe there was a computer installed in my residence recently, but that is the limit of my understanding on them."

"Well, basically this allows me to save any notes that I might need for later and keeps them organized to help me be able to identify any issues with your health quickly."

"I assure you such a measure is not required. I have never been ill a day in my life. A blessing from my noble bloodline no doubt."

"Even so, it never hurts to be prepared." Chiyu opened a draw and pulled out a small flashlight. "Now, I'm going to shine this into your eyes. Tell me if you experience any pain or dizziness."

Kaguya sat disinterestedly as Chiyu walked over to her and began shining a light into her eyes.

"It is mildly uncomfortable," Kaguya remarked. "I would appreciate it if you ceased."

"Sorry," Chiyu stepped back. "It was a little hard to make out because of how close their color is to your iris, but your pupil dilation appears to be fine. Your eyes appear to be functioning just fine."

"The two that I can see out of anyway," Kaguya remarked.

"I'm sorry?"

Kaguya reached up to the center of her forehead and forced the lids concealing her third eye open.

"Oh my," Chiyu smiled. "Well that's something. What strange coloring… Do all of your species have this third eye?"

"Not to my knowledge. I… acquired it sometime after I last saw one of my own." Kaguya fidgeted as Chiyu returned to her desk and started typing notes.

"I see," Chiyu returned to Kaguya's side, shining the flashlight into the third eye. "There's no response. Can you see out of this eye?"

"Not since I… Had a disagreement with my servant," Kaguya responded evasively.

"Disagreement?"

"My servant and I…" Kaguya frowned. "I have no desire to speak of it."

"Sorry I didn't mean to pry," The doctor was a little suspicious, but she didn't know Kaguya well enough to try and press the issue. She instead returned her attention to the eye. "I can't see any damage yet the eye doesn't respond to external stimuli. It could be related to shock. I'll make a note to have a specialist look at your eye at a future date. Now… if you could just take off your kimono, we can continue."

"I most certainly will not!" Kaguya frowned. "A noble does not disrobe on command!"

"I can't do a full physical check in you don't let me see your body." Chiyu explained patiently. "If it makes it any easier I can leave the room while you get undressed?"

"I… I fail to see why I must suffer this degradation! I am perfectly healthy."

"Well, you _are_ blind in one eye," Chiyu pointed out.

"I was aware of that," Kaguya replied defensively. "And I know why that has happened so it does not concern me. The only ones who should gaze upon my divine flesh are those who are serving me and maybe a… companion of sorts." She finished with a faint dusting of a blush on her cheeks.

"Okay," the doctor chuckled. "Well just consider me a servant. Doctors are servants to their patients in a way, I suppose."

"That… that does sound plausible," Kaguya nodded. "I did once have an alchemist who was under my employ… Very well." Kaguya stood up from her chair. "I… I may require some assistance." She admitted as she started to remove her kimono with her one hand.

"Of course," Chiyu smiled as she helped the former goddess disrobe. "Your skin is quite beautiful. No damage at all."

"As is expected of one of noble birth." Kaguya remarked with a hint of pride.

"Let me see…" She looked at the smooth shoulder where left Kaguya's arm should have been. "Even here there's no sign of damage. If you don't mind asking, were you born with one arm? There's no sign of damage and the shoulder looks like there was never any arm at all. In fact, the only reason I assumed there had been an arm here was the fact your kimono has two sleeves."

"I was indeed born with two arms," Kaguya testily replied. "As I mentioned I was the paragon of perfect health from my birth."

"How did you lose your arm if you don't mind me asking?"

"I do not wish to go into it. It was take by force if you must know." Kaguya looked at the space where her limb should have been with sadness. "It's loss is a constant reminder of my failure and an ever present weakness… I am helpless as a babe with only the good will of my servant to protect me. And I hate it with every fibre of my being."

"I see," Chiyu conducted the rest of the examination in silence as she checked Kaguya, not exactly sure how to respond to that and becoming more suspicious about the relationship between Kaguya and her handler.

The former goddess's mood was cold as she reflected on her weakness. Part of her was disgusted at her own weakness. It was her duty to appear in control so her servants felt assured, yet here she was sulking like a little child. There were worse fates, oh she knew that. When a princess of an opposing force was captured, they were seldom treated as kindly as she was. Though in her darker moments she might think it, she knew she was no prisoner. If she wanted to, she could leave and her servant would probably let her. As much as she loathed to admit it, he was a good person. Even if his understanding of human nature was a bit warped.

While Kaguya mulled her thoughts over, Chiyu concluded her observations with a sigh before pulling her stethoscope from around her neck and using it on Kaguya, placing the cold metal over her breast.

"That is cold!" Kaguya stepped back. "What is that strange device?!"

"My apologies," Chiyu warmed it in her hands, "This is a stethoscope. It allows me to hear your heartbeat."

"Oh…" Kaguya frowned. "Then continue servant, if it so pleases you."

"Thank you," Chiyu place the stethoscope on Kaguya's breast, who fidgeted with discomfort but said no more. "Interesting. Your heart beat seems stable." She removed the stethoscope and wandered over to her laptop, typing up a few notes.

Kaguya scowled as she covered herself as best she could with her one arm. "I trust you are satisfied?"

"You're in great condition physically." Chiyu smiled. "I will just need a blood sample to test for possible diseases, but as far as I can tell you're in good health."

"As I told you," Kaguya remarked. "This entire trip was a waste of my precious time."

"Well it has to be done for you to be in the Exchange program," Chiyu pulled a small needle out of a sterilized bag and tightened a tourniquet around Kaguya's lone arm. "Now this might be a little uncomfortable." Chiyu smiled as she took the blood sample, Kaguya making a 'hmph' sound in discomfort. "There we go." She smiled and placed the syringe in a sealed container before dabbing Kaguya's arm lightly with a small piece of cotton wool.

"Am I done now?" Kaguya asked.

"Almost," the female doctor chuckled as she helped Kaguya get dressed again. "You remind me a little of my daughter. She hates doctor's appointments as well. She's so full of energy that one, doesn't want to sit still for a moment."

"How old is she?" Kaguya asked, more out of politeness than curiosity. As a noble she had to show some interest in her servant's lives.

"Five and she's a real bundle of energy," Chiyu sighed happily as she picked up a picture frame from her desk and showed it to Kaguya. There was a beaming young girl and a baby held in her arms with a grumpy expression, a boy if the blue blanket was any indication. "That's Sakan and her little brother, Suneru. They're my pride and joy."

"I know that feeling," Kaguya smiled softly.

"Oh you have children?" Chiyu blinked. "I would never have guessed. You have no stretch marks or any other signs of childbirth on your body."

"Had." Kaguya's tone went sad.

"I'm so sorry," Chiyu frowned. "I didn't mean to bring up sad memories."

"It is okay." Kaguya shook her head. "You were not to know. They lived long lives."

"Long lives? You mean… they were adults when you lost them?" Chiyu blinked. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that. You just look so young I was surprised to hear you say that."

"They had long reached adulthood when they passed away. They even had children of their own as well." Kaguya smiled sadly.

"Wait a second. You're a grandmother?!" Chiyu's half lidded eyes opened fully for a brief moment before she chuckled and her appearance returned to normal. "If I look half as good as you do when I'm a grandmother, I'll consider myself blessed. Is your species particularly long lived?"

"By human standards certainly. As I mentioned previously I was viewed as a Goddess. It is highly probable that I am much more than a grandmother. I have been… away from my family for a great period of time."

"To live so long must be pretty interesting." the doctor smiled softly.

"Perhaps… But you leave a lot of people behind," Kaguya frowned sadly.

"Oh… Of course. I was being insensitive." Chiyu bowed her head in an apology. "Was… Was the father of your children human?"

"Father?" Kaguya frowned. "I… That is to say… That is none of your business." She looked away, a mixture of anger and embarrassment on her face.

"I see," Chiyu smiled softly. "Well I can safely say you're in perfect health." She handed a card to Kaguya with her name and number on. "If you need anything don't hesitate to call. That number will take you straight to my personal phone, rather than the Liminal helpline that other's have access to. It sounds like you could do with someone to unload your stress onto and, well like I said I have some training in healing psychological wounds. If anything happens, let me know. I won't pretend to understand what you are going through but I can assure you I will try to help you."

Chiyu then continued internally, _'And maybe I can find out more about this Uzumaki-san and what kind "disagreement" could lead to a person going blind in one eye. As a medical professional and an employee of the Exchange program, I can't just leave that be. Maybe I'll ask Ken-kun to investigate a little if he ever has to deliver there again...'_

"Thank you," Kaguya took the card, not quite understanding how it worked, but too proud to say anything. "'Chiyu Minoru, Liminal Specialist medical services.'" She read aloud, "It goes against my upbringing to memorize the names of my staff but I shall make a special exception in this case. Unlike the delivery man my servant mentioned this… morning…" There was a brief moment as the gears turned in Kaguya's head. "Oh! That's why your name sounded familiar. My servant mentioned that the delivery man from yesterday was called Minoru"

"Oh, that'd be Ken-kun, my husband." Chiyu laughed. "What a small world we live in."

"Indeed," Kaguya smiled wrily."So I can leave now? Or do you want me to have another DNA test?"

"You're fine, although I'm glad you mentioned the DNA test. There was one hit when we searched for a match to your DNA."

"I thought you said there wasn't any."

"There wasn't in the Liminal databases. It was in the human database."

"A human?" Kaguya looked horrified. _'A mere human sharing my divine heritage? This must be some mistake.'_ "Are you sure?"

"The test was run several times with the same result."

"Who is this human?" Kaguya asked.

"You know him," Chiyu said with a gentle expression. "It's Uzumaki-san."

"..."

"Kaguya-san?"

"... That… That can't be true! He can't… I mean… I know he has Ashura's chakra but… No! I refuse to accept it! You said that my DNA would say whether or not I am related to someone correct?"

"That's true yes," Chiyu nodded.

"So you are saying… I am related to that… that… uncultured servant of mine?!"

"Very, very, very distantly it would seem. At least you share a small fraction of the same DNA that doesn't match anything we've ever seen before. Uzumaki-san's DNA is slightly different from the average human DNA, but not to a concerning degree. I think Ms. Smith believes that DNA similarity is what gives Uzumaki-san his abilities."

"Of course," Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "That makes some sense… But I don't want to believe it." She bit her lip. "To acknowledge him as a descendant of mine… Where did my blood line go wrong? Was there some severe inbreeding somewhere? Or possible some interspecies horror that lead to… such a twisted branch from my pure tree?"

Chiyu chuckled slightly at the faces Kaguya was making as she tried to come to terms with the revelation that the one she had frequently mocked for his common birth was technically her descendant. Worse than that, he was her only descendant in this world! If they should never get home, her entire bloodline would only be kept alive by that blonde buffoon (and herself of course, but after what had happened with her first set of children she was in no hurry to repeat the process).

"I… What do I do?" Kaguya frowned. "I mean… As my servant I could overlook his many failings, but as a carrier of my noble bloodline…"

"As I said the relation is so distant it is barely noticeable," Chiyu tried to cheer up the stunned Kaguya. "Heck, there would have to be an impossibly large age difference between you for him to be a direct descendant of yours."

"...Around 3000 years?" Kaguya mumbled.

"That'd probably do it." Chiyu nodded. "H-hey are you alright?" She cried out as Kaguya headbutted the desk.

"Nothing will ever be right again." Kaguya mumbled into the desk sadly.

* * *

 _Back With Chichi and Toph_

"Heh," Toph smirked as she stared down the cowering blue Liminal. "That's right! Clearly ya know who I am."

"I don't want to fight you," The blue Liminal held up his hands in surrender as he spoke. His voice was deep yet surprisingly soft for one of his build. "Please... we're a peaceful farm and mean no harm to anyone."

"Peaceful farm?" Chichi took in her surroundings. _'This farm is well maintained and appears to be running… This isn't our farm! We're trespassing here, and to make matters worse I don't have my handler! This is going to be a permanent black mark on my record! They'll never let me join the police!'_ Her shoulder's slumped. _'And it is all that damn toad delinquent's fault!'_

"Hey…" Toph looked around. "This ain't my farm!"

"Handler-san's farm," Chichi corrected.

"Still," Toph smirked. "If I take over this farm, then no one'll doubt me! You're lucky ya caught me on a good day! Just hand over your keys and I'll let ya live!"

"K-keys? I don't have any…"

"No excuses!" Toph declared as she pointed the Bokken at the kneeling male.

"LEAVE FREMONT ALONE, YA DAMN VARMINTS!" An angry female voice cried out and Toph suddenly found herself with a sickle pressed against her throat. "Now listen here ya cocky toadling. This here is my farm and you've got 'till the count of five to give me a good reason not to call the police and have y'all deported back to wherever the heck ya came from!" The new arrival threatened in her thick country accent. She was a young, only about five foot tall, but gave the impression that her lack of height was more than made up for by her fighting spirit. Under any other circumstance, Toph would have probably liked this new arrival.

The girl had shoulder length brown hair tied in a short, high ponytail and was wearing a similar outfit to the blue Liminal, although she was wearing a dirty white shirt underneath. Her skin was covered in patches of dirt and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her brow. Her arms showed she was no stranger to hard work with subtle but noticeable muscular definition.

"I hate to butt in, but harming a representative is in violation of Principal Law 5." Chichi stepped forward her hands held up in an appeasing manner. "We don't mean to cause any harm. We just got lost."

"Speak for yourself." Toph narrowed her eyes as she looked at the human girl stood before them.

"Pay no attention to Toph here," Chichi bowed her head slightly. "My name is Chichi and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh you're just lost, are ya?" Jackie laughed as she lowered the sickle from Toph's throat and set it against her shoulder. "Well why didn't ya just say so? Name's Jackie Shuukaku and ol' big blue here is Fremont. We don't get many visitors 'round these parts, do we Fremont?"

"Ah, no Jackie," Fremont picked up his scythe and tried to hide behind the much smaller girl with limited success.

"I guess I can understand ya being a little frightened seeing big ol' Fremont here. Pretty big guy, ain't he? Strong too! But he's as soft as a pile of damp manure." She affectionately punched him on the arm, apparently oblivious to the large Liminal's soft blush. "So where ya from? I don't reckon I've seen any people like you 'round here. I'm guessing you'd be one of those Arachne types?" She glanced at Chichi.

"That's correct." Chichi smiled. "I'm a Long Leg-Type."

"I can't say I've ever set eyes on one like you before, though," Jackie looked at Toph curiously. "Some sort of toad-girl or something?"

"Or something. What's the big guy?" Toph cracked her knuckles and tried to intimidate Fremont, until Chichi dragged her away.

"Oh Fremont here's a Troll. You never seen one before?" Jackie laughed. "I can't speak for all of them, but the big lump here's got a heart of gold."

"Pleased to meet you. I hope I didn't scare you too much." Fremont smiled softly.

"Feh," Toph snorted. "Ya think I'm scared of a big heap like you? You're just a bigger target to hit."

"Anyway," Chichi shot Toph a warning glare, "We should be making our way back home. I can't apologize enough for this one's behavior."

"Fight me!" Toph yelled.

"So where ya from?" Jackie chuckled. "As far as I can recall, there ain't no places nearby that ya could be from. I reckoning ya must from the big city, right?"

"Actually we're from a nearby farm," Chichi explained.

"Yeah it's my farm," Toph pointed at herself smugly. "And it would kick your crappy farm's ass!"

"Now that there sounds like a challenge," Jackie raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Our farm hasn't even started up yet," Chichi sighed.

"Still," Toph crossed her arms. "It'll be better, I can guarantee it."

"A new farm? Strange, I didn't hear anything on the grapevine." Jackie rubbed her chin, further smearing a dirty mark on her face. "The only other farm 'round these parts is the ol' Renjou farm. It's about a forty minute walk through the forest or a twenty minute drive along the dirt road."

"That's the place." Chichi nodded. _'Although given our speed, I guess it took Toph and myself far less time to cross the forest.'_

"For real? You city slickers much be plenty brave to be staying in that place." Jackie whistled.

"Er… why?" Chichi said as she and Toph shared a confused look.

"What, ya'll ain't been told the history of the place?" Jackie chuckled. "No real surprise there. Betcha they wouldn't have been able to convince y'all to stay there otherwise."

"I did find it odd when I was looking around," Chichi nodded. "There were a few things there that made me think that the place had been abandoned for nigh on 30 years."

"Oh you mean the sword sheaths?" Toph pulled out the box of condoms from her pocket, having not gotten rid of them yet, resulting in a blush on Chichi and Fremont's face and a loud bawdy laugh from Jackie.

"That's one name for them." Jackie snorted much to Toph's confusion. "Anyway where was I… Oh yes, it was 'bout thirty years back that it happened. My pa was the one who told me the tale when I was a youngin. Ya see there was this guy by the name of Tawakeru Renjou, an eccentric sort of guy he was. My pa had a few talks with him, said he was nice enough but a bit too determined, ya know? Like if he wanted something, he would go all out to get it. This case what he wanted was a farm. Must have saved up for quite awhile as well. The land ain't cheap, and add to that the cost of all the buildings and materials required. Farming ain't the cheapest way to live, 'specially if ya go big, but it's rewarding and satisfying, ya hear. Poor guy blew his load on constructing the buildings and couldn't afford the labor. Still, this was his dream so he set about running the farm best he could. Occasionally my pa would lend him a hand, all neighborly like. Until that fateful day…"

"What happened?" Chichi's inner detective senses were buzzing. "Was it a murder?"

"Well, no one rightly knows." Jackie shrugged. "It was a full moon, sort of like the one we're expecting tonight. It's said that there was a strange, horrifying scream, like some sort of demon had descended on the farm or something, and the next day… the man had vanished without a trace. My pa said that when he checked the place the next morning all he could see were some strange reddish liquid staining the forge area. Looked like a lot of spilled wine, so he just assumed the guy'd been drinking again. But the guy never showed up, and that strange reddish liquid was gone by the time the police were called to investigate. They searched a bunch, but never found hide nor hair of the guy."

"Typical coppers. One of 'em probably thought it was jelly glazing and ate it, then tried to cover it up. Ya just can't trust 'em." Toph snorted.

"So he completely disappeared?" Chichi frowned.

"Yeah, but that ain't the weirdest part. The thing is, every so often on a full moon, ya can still hear the loud cry of the demon. They also say a few years after the guy went missing, there was nearly a year when the cries stopped for some reason. They started up again shortly after that, although less frequently than before. But the really freaky thing is this…" Jackie paused dramatically. "Everyone who's ever lived in the farmhouse after that weird guy, has always get run off by the next full moon. They complained of ghostly figures chasing them out and a strange ooze seeping through the cracks in the floorboards and trying to suffocate them… 'Bout fifteen years ago, they sold the land to the government, who they tried to bulldoze it, but all the vehicles would mysteriously fall apart, and people were getting so jumpy that they just abandoned the project and left it to rot. Shame really, it's some really nice land. The most recent case was a few months back. Some drifters settled there, but they left in an awful hurry. I reckon they saw something that spooked them like the rest."

"So you're trying to tell me that the farm is haunted?" Toph snorted. "Ha! Ya must be joking!"

"We haven't noticed anything odd." Chichi frowned.

"Well that's the story." Jackie shrugged. "Even if it ain't true, I'm not sure I'd want to take the risk. Not even with the big guy on my side." She patted Fremont on his arm.

"I wouldn't let anything harm you!" The blue Troll declared.

"Oh isn't he sweet? He's like my best friend and bodyguard all in one!"

"Ah… yes…" Fremont slumped over. "Your best friend… of course…" He kicked at the dirt sadly.

"But don't let them tales of horror scare y'all." Jackie laughed. "I don't know how many of those stories are true and how many are just superstition."

"O-of course," Chichi nodded. "I am sure there's a perfectly rational explanation for the disappearances and the ghosts."

"I'd like to see some ghosts try and scare me off," Toph puffed out her chest. "I'll give them a real pounding!" She rested her bokken on her shoulder.

"And how exactly are ya planning to fight a ghost?" Jackie asked. "Far as I know, they ain't solid. Ya need special tools to fight them."

"That's a point…" Toph's eyes widened. "They are incorrigible! I can't just punch them."

"Incorporeal," Chichi corrected. "And ghosts don't exist."

"Yeah, I'm sure everything'll be fine. I reckon the ol' guy just got another dream and went off and chased it, abandoning the farm. From what my pa said, that's the kind of guy that he was. As for the rest… The mind plays funny tricks on ya." Jackie looked up at the sky. "Still, I reckon you might want to be getting back home soon. The sun is on its way down and it'll be dark. Ya don't wanna be fumbling through that forest in the dark. Ghosts or not, there be some hungry buggers in that forest."

"She's right, we should get back. No doubt Handler-san is home…" Chichi frowned.

"Y-yeah," Toph nodded. "Let's get back then." She started back towards the forest, pausing when she noticed Chichi wasn't following her. "What're ya waiting for?"

"I'm sorry? Are you scared of walking through the forest alone?" Chichi smirked.

"Like hell I am!" Toph glared. "Fight me if ya think I'm scared!"

"Be seeing ya! Don't be strangers!" Jackie waved as Chichi and Toph returned to the forest. "What lively people, huh?"

"Y-yes," Fremont nodded.

"Ah well," Jackie stretched out, making her overalls hug her body in a way that made Fremont quickly look away with a blush. "Hey? You okay over there big guy?"

"I'm fine." Fremont mumbled uncomfortably.

"Looks like ya still have a fair bit of work to do and the day's light is nearly gone. Guess I'll have to help ya out." She bent over to look at some of the crops. "Ya gonna help me or just gonna stand there looking?"

"Ah! S-sorry," Fremont looked away from her rear and joined his handler in harvesting the crops.

While Fremont and Jackie got to work, Chichi and Toph were following the trail had left with their chase back to the house.

"I'm not scared," Toph remarked more to herself than to Chichi. Every shadow seemed to be far more menacing now, as if something was hidden within them, glaring at her and waiting for just the right moment to strike and take her down. She gripped the bokken hard and tried to convince herself that ghosts weren't real.

Chichi, while looking calm and composed, was just as jumpy as her Toad-Type acquaintance. _'What could make a man disappear without a trace… A strange Liminal perhaps? Or maybe some sort of murderer… And they prevented anyone from staying long enough to discover the truth.'_ She shivered. _'I must inform Handler-san. If there is a danger to us we must be prepared. Maybe I could even catch the person responsible. In fact… It is my duty as a future police officer to catch the person responsible for chasing people out of the farm.'_

"S-say." Toph looked around nervously.

"Yes?" Chichi looked at Toph, noting the edgy nature of the Toad-Type. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Toph snapped. "But… ya don't think there's any truth to what they were saying, do ya?"

"About ghosts?" Chichi shook her head. "I severely doubt it's that."

"Yeah, you're right," Toph let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"At least I hope not," Chichi mumbled. "I mean, how do you arrest a ghost?"

"I think ya got your priorities messed up," Toph shook her head. "But… thanks."

"What for?"

"...It doesn't matter," Toph grumbled.

The two continued walking through the forest in relative silence. There was a haunting beauty about the forest as the sun began to set. The low light was causing Chichi some difficulty in finding their trail, much to Toph's displeasure. She found herself longing to have the solid walls of her home around her.

"What's taking so long damn it?" Toph looked around nervously.

"...Something else has been here." Chichi looked around worriedly. "Something big. It makes it a little harder to follow our trail."

"Big?" Toph gripped her bokken tighter and looked around.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Chichi looked at the Toad-Type. "I noticed it's trail when I was tracking you. It isn't uncommon for bears to live in areas like this."

"Bears?" Toph blinked.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Chichi smiled at Toph's nervousness. "So long as we don't drop our guard we're more than capable of escaping."

"Escaping?!" Toph puffed up her chest. "I'm gonna sock it right between the eyes! These are my woods! Nobody threatens me on my own turf!" She pointed her bokken into the forest. "COME ON THEN! I'LL TURN YA INTO A RUG!"

"I would advise against yelling unless you want to actually attract the bear." Chichi remarked, annoyed at Toph's irrational outburst.

"Well that's fine by me!" Toph declared. "If this bear wants to live on my turf it had better be prepared to fight. There's only room for one boss around here."

"Wouldn't that be Handler-san?" Chich asked as she rubbed her temples, her patience with Toph's antics starting to wear thin. The Arachne felt like she had spent the entire day dealing with the Toad-Type's selfish behavior and was starting to seriously consider abandoning her.

"W-well," Toph faltered. "I mean…"

"Seeing as he did defeat you." Chichi continued.

"T-that's not true! I just let him win ya see. He's only a weak human, even if he does have strange powers."

"If you say so," Chichi remarked bluntly. _'She's just like a child, never willing to admit that she is wrong. What kind of parents could raise such a troublesome girl?'_

"Hey! Ya wanna fight?! I won't have to go easy on you!" Toph pointed her bokken at Chichi.

"If you attack me I will defend myself. The laws are very clear that the main priority is the safety of those participating in the program, handler or guest." Chichi pulled a collapsing baton from a utility belt wrapped around her humanoid waist. "The law clearly states that if my life's in danger, I can take steps to protect myself against the threat. I'm tired of your selfish outbursts, so please either grow up or shut up while I try and find our way back home, which I would remind you that I wouldn't need to do if you hadn't run off like a spoiled child in the first place!"

"How is this my fault?!"

"How is it not?!" Chichi shot her a warning look. "Now be silent."

"Make me!" Toph snorted. "I should knock ya out for disrespecting me like that!"

"Try it, see what happens." The long legged Arachne's patience finally started to wear out.

"That a threat?!"

"Of course not." Chichi spoke calmly, although there was an edge to her voice that gave away her fury, "Merely stating should you take an hostile actions against me... I may be forced to break your legs in order to ensure my own safety. I am sure Handler-san would understand."

"Oh, you're just asking for a beatdown now! You fat ass!" Toph yelled.

"I am the perfect size for my species," Chichi retorted defensively. "Not that a delinquent frog such as yourself would know that. I'll bet you can't even read!"

"Are you calling me a frog?! I'm gonna kill ya!" Toph leapt at Chichi, swinging her bokken furiously which Chichi parried with her baton. "I ain't no stinking, slimy-ass frog!" The two pushed their weight against each other, trying to push the other one back from their weapon lock. While Chichi had the weight advantage, Toph's more powerful leg muscles did well to negate that and the two struggled to overpower each other.

 _'What am I even doing? I've let her get under my skin again and now it's gotten out of control. I need to settle down so we can get home. Hopefully if Handler-san's already gotten back with Kaguya, he won't be too mad,'_ Just as Chichi started to force Toph back, she suddenly shook her head and leapt backwards.

"What? Ya had enough?" Toph was puffing lightly with a defiant look on her face.

"I…" Chichi rubbed her temples with her free hand. "I'm sorry. That was unprofessional of me. I shouldn't have let you get to me. As a police officer I should expect much worse." She started taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"Eh?" Toph didn't understand what was going on. First the copper was all raring to go and now she was backing down.

"I shouldn't have said that. I don't know what is coming over me." Chichi bowed her head. "That was a deliberate insult to rile you up which violates Article…"

"Wait a second," Toph scoffed. "If ya lost your appetite for a knuckle sandwich, then just say it and stop hiding behind ya stupid laws." She lowered her bokken and tried not to look too relieved. For all her bluster she wasn't entirely sure she could take Chichi if she got serious. Her previous skirmishes with the Arachne had all ended poorly for the Toad-Type. "Still, I can't blame ya for losing the stomach to fight. Seeing that ya had to fight the great Toph-sama and all. I accept your surrender."

"I live by those laws," Chichi remarked with a scowl at Toph's casual dismissal of her way of life. "Still I acted like a child rather than a potential police cadet. I guess you always seem to get under my skin and what with it being a full moon and all, that wasn't be helping either of us."

"Speak for yourself," Toph scoffed. "I always feel great on a full moon. Like I could take on anything!"

"So no different from usual," Chichi chuckled as the tension that was between them faded away.

"Ya know it." Toph shivered as the air started to cool. "Maybe we should head back to the farm now..."

"I suppose we're lucky that our… disagreement didn't attract the bear." Chichi sighed.

"Or the ghost thing." Toph added. "Not that ghosts are real though."

"Of course not. It was probably just a serial murderer or something." Chichi paused. "But I'm sure that the culprit is long gone by now."

"Of course. I mean, why would he still be here after all these years?" Toph laughed weakly. "Ya got the trail yet?"

"...S-say." Chichi cleared her throat uneasily. "What were the only things Jackie said were found after the the man disappeared?"

"Some sort of red goop that looked like wine?" Toph shrugged and paled as she saw the hand Chichi was holding up. In Chichi's hand was a strange red syrupy liquid. "This… This wasn't here earlier."

"Earlier?"

"As in before we started our disagreement." Chichi gulped. "I mean… Did you see anything?"

"I was too busy getting ready to hit ya." Toph took a step back and yelped as a branch poked her in the back.

"Are you okay? You look a little jumpy," Chichi paused. "No pun intended."

"I'm fine! I'm definitely not scared!" Toph declared. "I mean it is probably just…" Before Toph could enlighten Chichi, there was the sound of branch snapping behind them. Toph didn't even look over her shoulder to see what it was, using every ounce of explosive power in her legs to launch herself in the opposite direction to the sudden noise.

She wasn't the only one. Chichi was well aware of the dangers of being caught in an ambush by a superior hunter and was just behind the startled Toad-Type. The two raced through the forest, self preservation overruling every other instinct the two girls had and while Chichi agilely navigated the canopy, leaping gracefully from tree to tree, Toph favored short, explosive hops that caused her to rocket forwards in long jumps that were as fast as they were powerful.

Their flight was watched by a black bear, who walked over to the red goop and sniffed it before leaving the area. The wood was full of strange smells and the bear had learned it was better not to investigate them. The last time he had, he had stumbled across a large blue creature who had backed away from him. It smelled afraid and the bear reasoned it would be a good meal, until a small human dived at him in defence of the strange creature and proceeded to beat him with a shovel. Ever since then the old bear had avoided investigating any strange smelling creatures and humans it saw for its own safety.

This would have come as a relief to Chichi and Toph, if they had anyway of knowing it. Consequently, Toph and Chichi didn't stop running until they were safely in their house and barricaded the doors, taking up defensive positions, all thoughts of their earlier disagreement forgotten.

* * *

 _Back With the MON squad_

"Don't even ask." Smith remarked as Naruto and Kaguya approached. Her hair was a mess and her desk looked like a battle had raged on it. Pens and pencils were everywhere and desktop computer's mouse was sticking through the keyboard. There was a pile of torn up documents that looked as if they had been dunked in coffee, and a suspiciously innocent looking Usagi was sitting on top of it. Zombina and Doppel were sitting at nearby table with Zombina back in her MON uniform, the nurse's costume being confiscated after she had managed to nearly blind someone when a button finally ended up bursting off of her bust.

They both looked somewhat amused and were chuckling until Smith glared at them before returning her attention to Naruto and Kaguya. "Just take your damn hellspawn and leave me be."

"Come Usagi," Kaguya extended her arm and the rabbit nimbly hopped its way up it, resting on her shoulder and somehow managing to replicate Kaguya's noble bearing.

"Can we go home now?" Naruto asked, suppressing a yawn. "Today has really dragged. That Raito guy had way too many questions for me."

"Given your limited brain power, it was probably torturous for you," Kaguya remarked dryly, "Though much to my displeasure, I must agree with you. There were quite a lot of questions being asked for a mere health check."

 _'And I still have a lot to think about with this revelation. Could he really be…? No! But what if…'_ Kaguya started to get lost in her thoughts as she tuned out the conversation.

"I assure you all questions asked served a purpose." Smith smiled weakly, "If you're in such a hurry to go, the car will be outside shortly. I would go with you, but someone has to attend a meeting since half of my MON squad apparently decided to prank you for some reason." Smith ignored the fact it was her fault for telling them Naruto was to blame for the paperwork they had been left with. "Which reminds me," She glared pointedly at Zombina and Doppel who had the decency to look sheepish. "I believe apologies are in order."

"Yeah, yeah," Zombina rubbed the back of her head with an awkward smile. "Sorry about today. You forgive me right? I mean, when you think about it isn't Smith really the one to blame for all this?"

"Don't go passing the blame onto me," Smith rubbed her forehead tiredly. "It's bad enough you tried to drag Manako into this too. I suppose I should be grateful Tio is on a mission, or you might've tried to drag her into this mess as well."

"I forgive you, I guess?" Naruto shrugged. "It wasn't as if you actually hit me or anything."

"Rub it in why don't you," Zombina mumbled under her breath before brightening,. "Say if, I gave you a few things to read… could you record yourself saying them?"

"Like what?" Naruto looked at the zombie who started to giggle darkly.

"That's enough of that you rotten girl," Doppel rolled her eyes, although the faintest of blushes was present on her face. "I apologize that my powers were used to confuse you. It must be odd seeing someone who can shapeshift."

"Not really," Naruto shrugged. "Where I come from it's a fairly common ability."

"Why does that not surprise me." Smith chuckled. "You have some sort of shapeshifting power too?"

"Henge!" Naruto grinned as he activated the technique, surrounding himself with a plume of smoke that quickly dispersed to reveal another Ms. Smith, although this one has grinning in a very Naruto-esque manner.

"Well isn't that interesting," Smith got out of her seat and walked over to the perfect clone. "Say… Can your clones do this too?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded before realizing why Smith was asking. "While they may look and sound like you, a clone using henge probably won't be able to act like you very well."

"Still… If I don't have to speak then it could go to the training course… But if I'm caught I'll have to go on the longer one. It isn't worth it this time." Smith sighed.

' _ **I'm not the only one who noticed the 'this time' right?'**_ Kurama chuckled.

"So this ability of yours," Zombina poked the clone Smith on the breast. "You actually take the form of what you mimic? It's solid?"

"Yeah," Naruto tried not to look smug. "Awesome isn't it?"

"Some of us don't need an attention grabbing puff of smoke though," Doppel crossed her arms.

"W-well," Naruto faltered, "I suppose if I used it more I could figure out a way of doing it without the smoke."

"So how do you do it? It must be pretty complex." Smith walked around the disguised Naruto. _'It's like a full 3D mirror or some sort of dressing doll.'_

"Henge is actually a pretty simple technique where I come from," Naruto (as Smith) took off the sunglasses he was wearing. "Pretty much everyone could do it, at least anyone who wanted to be a ninja anyway. Well I guess Rock Lee couldn't, but he's kind of a special case."

"He even sounds like her," Zombina smirked. "Hey do me!"

"Alright?" Naruto henged into Zombina wearing the nurse's outfit.

"Damn no wonder I was getting all those looks," Zombina grinned. "I look good in that dress!"

"You say everyone can do that where you are from?" Doppel asked.

"Pretty much everyone who made it far enough in the ninja academy, at the very least," Naruto nodded. "It kind of sucked because there were so many pranks I could have pulled, but because the technique is literally one of the first ninja techniques you learn… It's also one of the first you learn to defend yourself against. There are tell-tale signs that any halfway decent ninja can spot from a mile away." He dispelled the henge returning to his normal form.

"Wait a minute." Zombina looked as if she had suddenly received some divine guidance. "If I showed you a picture of someone and played a clip of their voice… would you be able to mimic them?"

"I guess," Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Well you see there are these characters in the show I watch," Zombina drooled slightly. "And I figure you could record stuff in their voices! It'll be like my favorite slash fanfics are actually happening! You could even act parts of them out!"

"...What?" Naruto blinked. "I didn't understand a thing you just said."

' _ **All things considered, that's probably for the best.'**_ Kurama remarked.

' _Do you know what she is talking about?'_ Naruto frowned

' _ **I can hazard a guess considering her reaction to your dramatic reading of that novel.'**_

' _Okay?'_ Naruto decided not to think about it too hard.

"Just… Just go… These two have left me with so much work to do…" Smith rubbed her temples before turning her attention to Zombina and Doppel. "Do you realize I have to attend a team leader seminar thanks to you two?"

"Sorry," Zombina's apology had all the emotion of a brick wall.

"We'll probably do something like this again," Doppel added with the same amount of guilt as her teammate.

"I'm not paid enough for this." Smith sighed before turning to Naruto. "The car should be waiting for you outside by now. I'll probably not be visiting for a meal today, but I'll try and make it to your farm for breakfast."

"Don't make it sound as if you're trying to let me down softly," Naruto deadpanned.

"I know you'll miss my presence," Smith sighed dramatically, ignoring his retort.

"We're leaving." Naruto turned to leave, Kaguya falling into step with him. As he started to leave he realized she hadn't said a word the beginning of their conversation with Smith and the two MON agents. "Er… Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Kaguya appeared to be deep in thought as she stared at Naruto.

"Er… Kaguya-chan?"

"I refuse to accept it!" She put her hand on her hip and left the building, sweeping through the crowds with the grace she always carried herself with. The strange thing was that people were stopping and getting out of her way. More than a couple of people took out their phones and started taking photos of the former goddess.

"...Eh?" Naruto glanced at Smith who shrugged. "Wait for me!" He set off after the angry Kaguya. Unlike the woman who had proclaimed herself his master, Naruto had to fight his way through the huddle of bodies, squeezing between people in an attempt to catch up to the former goddess. _'Why the hell are there this many people right in front of this building!'_

"Hey, weren't you supposed to give that back to him?" Zombina asked Doppel. pointing at the jacket in her lap.

"Not yet," Doppel grinned evilly. "After all… I still need to regain my honor as a prankster."

"Well, whatever you're planning can take place at his farm," Smith groaned. "I don't have to explain anything that happens there and I really can't afford a pay cut because of your hijinks."

While Doppel set to work on thinking up a plan to get revenge on Naruto and Zombina set to work on planning all the scenes she was going to try and convince Naruto to reenact, Naruto caught up to Kaguya who was standing at the door to the car, hand on her hip and tapping her foot furiously.

"Are you going to open the door?" She asked coldly.

"Why are you so upset? Did you get some bad results or something?" Naruto asked as he opened the door and helped her in as he sat down opposite Kaguya.

"Bad results?" Kaguya frowned. "Yes… I suppose you could say that."

"Is it fatal?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"It is improper to pry into the personal affairs of your master." Kaguya responded curtly.

"Ah sorry." Naruto leaned back as the car started to pull away from the office. _'It must be something pretty bad to get her this worked up. She was in a pretty good mood (for her at least) when we arrived.'_

' _ **True… Maybe her body's deteriorating or something. She was basically a goddess of chakra, without it her body could be slowly falling to bits.'**_

' _Crap! I have to do something!'_

' _ **Yeah if she dies then we might not be able to make it back.'**_

' _Oh… yeah that too.'_

' _ **...You got a real hero complex, you know that? You should have asked Dr Raito for something to treat that.'**_

' _Hardy har har.'_ Naruto rubbed his forehead. "Say Kaguya-chan?"

"What?" Kaguya turned to Naruto with a murderous glare, causing Kurama to actually yelp in fright.

"I… er… I just want you to know that no matter what." He coughed awkwardly. "I'm here for you. I mean we're the only two people from our old world in this one. We have to look out for each other, right?"

"... I know that of course," Kaguya looked away. "We need each other if we are ever to return home."

"Right," Naruto nodded. "So… whatever the doctor said it doesn't change anything."

"It doesn't?"

"I guess if you find yourself less able to do things I'll just pick up the slack." _'It isn't as if I haven't been doing that anyway.'_ He thought to himself.

"You… You are an idiot," Kaguya looked away angrily. "You can't possibly understand how much this changes."

"Oh," Naruto racked his brains trying to think of something that would cheer up Kaguya but couldn't find the words so instead fell into an uncomfortable silence, which lasted most of the journey home.

Kaguya spent the journey glaring out of the window as if the world had wronged her, her mood slightly improving from glacial to extremely unhappy as they left the city and the more familiar rural scenery replaced the urban jungle. While she was brooding, Naruto and Kurama debated the best way to cheer her up. Usagi was sitting on Kaguya's lap, apparently oblivious to Kaguya's bad mood as she unconsciously stroked his fur.

After what seemed like the longest journey Naruto could ever remember being on, the car pulled to a halt and the driver lowered the partition between the front and the back of the car.

"We've arrived." The driver stated bluntly.

"Er… Thanks," Naruto got out of the door and opened it for Kaguya reaching for her hand to help her out. Unfortunately for Naruto, Usagi chose this moment to sink its teeth into Naruto's outstretched hand causing him to cry out in pain and shake his hand furiously, although the rabbit refused to let go.

Kaguya just sat and watched in disbelief. _'This is the person who defeated me…'_ When Naruto started to try and pry Usagi off, she suddenly started laughing softly at the comical sight, although this was missed by Naruto. _'What a strange world this is.'_ She clambered out of the car. _'I suppose even with my bloodline, he is still an idiot. I suppose he was right, he has had noble blood all along. My blood. And it's also as he said, it changes nothing.'_ She schooled her face back into a look of disapproval and stroked Usagi's head, causing the rabbit to release Naruto.

"Thanks," Naruto looked at the wound. _'That's a fair bit of blood. Kurama?'_

' _ **What? You want me to heal that itty bitty bite from the tiny little rabbit?'**_ Kurama snorted with laughter.

' _It's evil.'_ Naruto glared at the bunny innocently perched on Kaguya's shoulder.

"You truly are an idiot," Kaguya shook her head as she lead the way to the farm's main entrance, Naruto still complaining under his breath about the rabbit. "I suppose… That is not entirely a bad thing."

"Pardon?" Naruto looked up.

"Nothing," Kaguya sighed. "A noble shouldn't have to repeat herself because her servant is a poor listener." She paused as they walked to the front door, pointing to a stripe of red alongside the side of the house. "It appears that someone tried painting the house. That is to my window isn't it? If they have been in my room…" The rabbit goddess scowled.

"It was probably just Toph playing a prank on Chichi," Naruto wiped the paint with a finger and looked at the strange red coloration. In the light of the full moon it almost looked pink. "Still damp though. I'll have a word with them."

"You do that," Kaguya tried the front door, only to find it was wedged shut. "Servant… I have had a long day and would greatly appreciate it if you could facilitate the quick opening of this door."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto pushed against the door. "Toph probably wedged the door shut and tried to lock Chichi out. Though I guess Chichi was able to get in, otherwise she would have run up to us as soon as we got here. I'll have to have a talk with Toph later. Hopefully she respects me enough to listen." Naruto chuckled.

"I suppose someone has to respect you," Kaguya remarked bluntly. "Though I doubt that miscreant toad Nectophry respects you much more than I do."

"Oh so you remember her name, but not mine?" Naruto sighed.

"I can't be filling your head with delusions, now can I? And besides, _she_ isn't my servant," Kaguya shivered. "In fact, I believe she would be an even worse servant than you. I tried to find a job for her but… I believe that one is beyond hope."

"So I'm not beyond hope?"

"Sometimes I wonder," She tapped her foot impatiently. "Have you gotten the door open yet?"

"Give me a second." He frowned as he summoned a shadow clone, proceeding to henge the clone into a sheet of paper and then feeding the paper through the side of the door. After a few moments the front door opened and a smug shadow clone greeted them.

"That was… Surprisingly intelligent for one such as you," Kaguya stepped inside.

"I'm taking that as a compliment," Naruto remarked as he shut the door behind him. "What happened here?" The two looked around to see all the windows shut and the doors bolted and barricaded. All the lights were on as well.

"Well isn't that interesting," Kaguya gestured to the adjacent living room where Chichi and Toph were sleeping. Chichi was leaning against the sofa with Toph sat on her abdomen with her back to Chichi's, her bokken hanging loosely in her left hand. There were several lights still on as well.

"Huh, maybe they started to get along after all?" Naruto shook his head.

"I shall retire for the night. I expect a big breakfast in the morning to make up for the two meals I was forced to miss." Kaguya turned and paused, not wanting Naruto to see her face with what she was about to say. "I... apologize for my earlier mood. I learned a… difficult truth to swallow. Even now I still have my doubts."

"When you feel ready to tell me, I'll be here to listen," Naruto smiled at her.

"I could never tell you!" Kaguya left the room. _'Imagine his ego if he learned that he shared my divine blood or… what is it the doctor said… DNA?'_

Naruto merely shook his head and summoned some clones to take Chichi and Toph back to their beds. It took three of them to properly lift Chichi and her secondary abdomen and another two to keep Toph, who was mumbling something about being the most badass gang leader ever, from fidgeting too much. He noticed a note in Chichi's neat handwriting on the coffee table and picked it up as the clones carefully tried to lift the two sleeping Liminals.

'Handler-san.

First of all I wish to apologize. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to get Nectophry to perform her assigned tasks (see section 2 for the full task list and current status of all jobs). I also failed to prevent her from leaving the building without her assigned handler and was forced to pursue her, which I am aware is a violation of the Exchange laws (See Section 3 for a list of all laws that were violated in your absence and the offenders).'

Naruto flicked to the next page and smirked to see the list had been scribbled over in a much scruffier handwriting that said 'Who cares about all this stupid law stuff anyway?' before flicking back to the letter.

During this pursuit we accidentally trespassed on a farm owned by another handler and through my diplomatic skills, I was able to prevent a potentially hostile situation from developing. I also learned some information relating to the history of this farm that I believe you should know. Suffice to say, there are no shortages of ghost stories surrounding the farm and I shall relay the full details to you in the morning but all of the tales appear to mention the full moon (which I am sure I don't need to remind you is tonight.)

I have provided food for Nectophry and myself, so you need not concern yourselves with our meal.'

Once again Toph's scrawl was visible, 'But you better make one hell of a breakfast. The Copper is useless in the kitchen. She likes her food far too raw!'

Naruto shook his head and chuckled at that before reading the last section of Chichi's letter. 'We decided to fortify the location, as a precaution as apparently there may be a demon who appears during the full moon and leaves nothing but a red stains in their path. We feared the creature may have been following us after finding something similar on the way back, but it was probably just the night shadows and our nerves playing tricks on us. We shall tidy up in the morning.'

The last comment was in Toph's scrawl. 'What she means is she'll tidy up in the morning. I am not getting up until at least 10 am.'

"Red stains…" Naruto glanced at what he had thought was paint still on his hands. Now that he was inside in the well lit room and he could see it clearly, he noticed that it definitely wasn't paint. He rubbed his fingers together. "What is this? It feels more like jelly than anything..."

' _ **Er… Naruto… Remember where the trail ended on the wall?'**_

Suddenly, a high pitched scream filled the house.

"KAGUYA!" He cried out before racing to her room.

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the fifth chapter!**

 **I know, ending on a cliffhanger is a bit evil, but this chapter is already super long and it creates some suspense. It was also where I planned it to end, so there's that too. We met quite a few new characters this chapter, as well as learned the names of a few others. I created these characters after I realized that the planned cast was pretty much comprised of Naruto, his love interests, very loosely planned future villains, Smith, and Kurama. I felt the story needed some non-love interest and non-antagonist regulars, so I came up with these guys. I'll give you a bit of insight on them and their creation in a moment then proceed onto the "expected questions" section.**

 **First off, Chiyu (whose name means healing) was a character I actually came up with the idea for several chapters back, but didn't decide anything specific about her design until this chapter. I had planned for this doctors visit to be a way to give some explanation on Kaguya's condition for a while and I also planned for her to be examined by a female doctor who would sympathize with her and give her number, and possibly become a confidant of sorts. It wasn't until this chapter that I decided to have her be Ken's wife, but since I already planned for him to have a wife and two kids, this helped to tie it all together. Some trivia for you: Chiyu is actually several years older than Ken, Ken being in his early 30's and Chiyu being in her late 30's. Also there kids, Sakan and Suneru, names mean energetic/enthusiastic and to pout/to sulk respectively.**

 **Next, we have Jackie and Fremont. Jackie's last name Shuukaku (not to be confused with the Bijuu Shukaku) means harvest. I thought it was appropriate and the similarity was humorous. Fittingly, she named her farm "Harvest Farm". Fremont is named after a sculpture of a Troll under a bridge called the Fremont Troll in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. I pretty much just googled "Troll Names" and it came up *shrugs*. A few you guessed that it was going to be Cathyl's farm from the manga, but nope. It's just more OC. Jackie will not be a love interest for Naruto, as Fremont is her love interest (as soon as he can work up the courage to confess or she stops being too dense to notice the obvious). You could consider them a B plot romance if you want.**

 **Next, Narf is Toph's pet rat mentioned last chapter. His name is a(n obvious) reference to Pinky's catchphrase from Pinky and the Brain.**

 **Finally, Usagi, whose name just means rabbit (I know, not super creative) is the head bunny of Kaguya's adorable army, second only to Kaguya in the chain of command. It's very** **mischievous as well as protective of it's leader. Expect it to bane of everyone who isn't Kaguya's existence.**

 **Side note: As some of you may have guessed, Dr Raito is just Dr Light from Megaman. I have no intention of using the character again (though he might make a cameo or two, depending on the arc and if I feel it's appropriate), so I didn't bother to give him a unique design.**

 **Now onto the expected questions section.**

 **Q: Why does Naruto know what Vaccinations are?**

 **A: Naruto's world appears to be pretty close to modern as far as medical technology applies, so I assumed they'd have them. Kaguya doesn't know what they are for the same reason she doesn't know most modern things: she was sealed in the moon as a statue for 3000 years.**

 **Q: Why did you say she was sealed for 3000 years? The anime said it was 1000.**

 **A: Because, as I said in the first chapter, I planned the basics for this story before that arc happened in the anime and I shall be ignoring it. I decided on 3000 years because I wanted to allow enough generations to have passed to dilute the genetics enough that it wouldn't really be incest. Heck, since Kaguya isn't human, Naruo probably has more genetically in common with Hinata (coincidentally another of Kaguya's descendants) than he does with her at this point.**

 **Q: Why doesn't Kaguya just tell Naruto that he's her descendant?**

 **A: Because she's ashamed to admit it and she doesn't realize he already knows. She'll probably refrain from mentioning his " common blood" from now on, though.**

 **Q: Why does Kaguya still have her eye? You said it was gone in chapter 1!**

 **A: No, Naruto said that. He just couldn't tell because the eyelid was closed. I always planned for her to keep it, but it for be useless. I have plans and it's something that'll be important later, don't worry.**

 **Q: Why is Kaguya's missing arm just a smooth shoulder instead of some kind of scarred mess?**

 **A: Because she healed over the wound during her fight and used a chakra arm instead, planning to heal it properly when she could concentrate after she won the battle...but she didn't really get the chance. I'm more curious why no one bothered to ask about why her arm wasn't bleeding back when chapter 1 was released.**

 **Q: Why did you make Zombina a yaoi fangirl?**

 **A: Because, canonically, she is one. It's actually a pun on her being zombie. You see, the Japanese term for a yaoi fangirl is "fujoshi", which literally means "rotten girl". Well, the term fujoshi is a little more complicated in it's original use, but it would take too long to explain all the specifics, but it does literally mean "rotten girl" and that's the joke in Japanese, so that's all that matters.**

 **Q: Why didn't Naruto react to Zombina's yaoi?**

 **A: Because Naruto proofread Jiraiya's manuscripts during his training trip and said they were boring to him (this was stated during the part of the manga where they were trying to decode Jiraiya's message about Pain). I just went with the idea that Naruto finds smut (as in written erotica) boring and needs something with actual pictures to care.**

 **Q: Why didn't Zombina mention Naruto's necklace when she was staring at his chest?**

 **A: Because Naruto destroyed the necklace during the Pain fight. If you remember, when Naruto went Six Tails, the necklace tried to activate and reseal Kurama's power and he immediately crushed it, meaning no more necklace. I feel like a lot of authors who start after that point seem to forget about that.**

 **Q: When's Naruto getting his jacket back from Doppel?**

 **A: Whenever she deigns to give it back to him, I guess. All kidding aside, you'll find out later.**

 **Extra: I can't think of a way to phrase this as a good question, so I'll put it here. In this story, the Henge no Jutsu (transformation) is a physical transformation, but it can be dispelled if the user loses concentration, like if they're hit. Another thing, it's likely that there were quite a few civilians in Konoha who could use it despite not being ninja. After all, not everyone who goes through the academy ends up being able to become a ninja.**

 **Edit: I forgot to mention this, but in this story the full moon doesn't just make Liminals horny, it just enhances their natural instincts and emotions. IE Toph is more territorial, Chichi has a stronger urge to hunt, when they're angry they're more aggressive, when they're scared they panic more, etc. This is based on the fact that in the manga it's phrased as the full moon bringing out their instincts, not specifically just lust, so I'm going with the idea that the girls became so lustful because the idea that marriage was a possibility made them feel extra amorous and the full moon just enhanced it (Cerea even says that that's what made it too difficult for them to hold back). Also, the full moon has no effect on Kaguya, as she is technically not a Liminal.**

 **If you have any other questions related to the plot, the answer is probably "You'll find out later."**

 **See ya next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys and gals! Here's chapter six. Sorry it took so long, but there were a couple of things Drake wanted to do before we started writing out this chapter. That's not to say I was twiddling my thumbs waiting. I took that time to plan this chapter out further (as well as about the next four), develop more story ideas, deepen preexisting future character plans, and got three commissions done, and there's another on the way! One of Kaguya as she appears in the story, one of a future character, and one special one for this chapter. As usual, you can find them all on my deviantart. The idea for this chapter was one me and Drake had way back before we even started on chapter 2. A lot has changed since then, but the basic idea is still there. And with the theme of this chapter, it's quite appropriate that we were able to get this out in October!**

 **Before we get started on the chapter, I want to say a few things. First, as I've gotten a ton of questions about this, Kaguya will NEVER regrow her arm. She may get a prosthetic at some point in the future, but she'll never have a flesh and blood left arm again. Second, please do not ask for specific girls. I've already made my decision about most of them, so asking won't change anything. Also, I'm aware of the online game. I will not be using any of its characters, but I have taken inspiration from some of the species for OC, Toph being an example of such. Finally, if you want to ask me a direct question, do not do it in a guest review. I have no way respond to those. I'm not saying don't leave guest reviews, but if you do and ask a direct question, don't expect to receive an answer. Anyhoo, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: Insert funny quip about how I don't own Daily Life with a Monster Girl or Naruto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

There was an uneasy silence as Chichi observed the scene of the crime. She had be woken from her uneasy slumber by Kaguya's scream and had immediately raced towards the sound. Currently there was Naruto, herself and Toph stood around an unconscious Kaguya, who was laid face down on the bed, covered with the same slime that was on the side of the house.

The room was undisturbed, besides the slime trail from the window to the bed and there were no signs of a struggle. Clearly Kaguya had either been taken by surprise, either not knowing the attacker was in the room or knowing who the attacker was. She bent down to look at Kaguya, checking her for injuries but she appeared perfectly healthy, bar some light bruising on her forehead.

"Is she alright?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

"She's just out cold. By the looks of things she took a blow to the head. I would advise calling a medical professional to look after her, but first we need to figure out what happened, lest a similar fate befall us."

"Ha!" Toph snorted. "Like I'd go down as easy as the bunny hag! If whatever attacked her comes after me I'll kick its ass!"

Chichi narrowed her eyes and looked at Toph critically.

"What? Ya wanna fight?!" Toph scowled right back at the Arachne.

"I was just thinking, you would have the motive to attack Kaguya," Chichi rubbed her chin. "Which is more reasonable than believing some demon attacked her."

"What? How the hell would I have done that?" Toph snorted. "I was sleeping next to you, ya stupid pig."

"True," Chichi chose not to respond to her insult. "Which leaves you Handler-san."

"Me?" Naruto blinked, "When you two woke up I was in the same room."

"Which would have been a convincing alibi," Chichi nodded. "If not for your ability to create clones of yourself. I see what happened." She paced the room. "Earlier today you left a clone behind to monitor Toph and myself. On seeing us leave the house in direct violation of the agreements that allowed us to stay here, you decided to punish us. The clone heard Jackie-san telling us about the ghost story surrounding this place and you decided to scare us, using the slime. After seeing how scared it made us, you decided this would be the perfect opportunity to get a bit of revenge of Kaguya, who we all know doesn't treat you with the respect you deserve. It was the perfect crime," The Arachne crossed her arms. "You get revenge on Kaguya-san and get to blame it on a ghost story!"

"...Eh?" Naruto tilted his head. "First things first, what ghost story are you talking about? Second, if I wanted revenge on Kaguya I'd just prank her again. I wouldn't attack her. I mean she's pretty much helpless as it is." He rubbed the back of his head. "It wouldn't feel right."

"But out of all of us gathered here, you're the only one with the motive and ability to have attacked Kaguya." Chichi pointed out. "Plus you're not wearing your jacket."

"How is that suspicious?" Naruto and Toph shared a confused glance.

"It was damaged in the struggle with Kaguya-san." Chichi nodded. "So you had to hide to make yourself look innocent!"

"Okay if I can create clones and used a clone to attack Kaguya, how would my coat have gotten damaged?"

"...Er…" Chichi faltered. "W-well you are still the only one who could have done it when looking at all the evidence."

"Unless there is someone else here," Toph pointed out.

"Well yes," Chichi shivered. "But I prefer to deal with the facts I have in front of me. I can't comment on evidence I haven't seen."

"And the fact is I was with you when Kaguya was attacked. I don't tend to have my clones summoned unless I need them, seeing as Kaguya would whine that I am 'wasting her chakra'." He reached towards aforementioned lady. "Besides if I heal her, she might wake up and tell us what happened to her." He placed his palm on her forehead and closed his eyes as he left the chakra flow into the former goddess. He could feel her third eye beneath his hand as Kaguya started to stir as his healing chakra started to take effect, much to his surprise. _'I thought she had lost it when her powers were stripped. Come to think of it, if she still has that eye then maybe her other powers are still there but she can't use them since she doesn't have any chakra?'_

' _ **I guess it isn't impossible.'**_ Kurama yawned. _'_ _ **Do you think that's such a good idea? Didn't she seem pretty upset last time you healed her?'**_

' _I'm sure she'll be more understanding this time.'_

"Ah…" Kaguya gasped as she started to wake up, a slight blush on her face. "W-what is happening?"

"You were attacked," Naruto smiled at her. "Are you okay?"

"Mm…" Kaguya closed her eyes again, leaning into his hand as the warmth started to spread through her body. "That's nice…" She started to doze off again as the energy started to swirl around inside of her, stirring up feelings she had not felt in a long time, causing her to fully wake up and kick Naruto away from her."Y-you indecent servant!"

"Eh?"

"You were doing that again!" She pointed at him angrily.

"Heal you?"

"Ha! What you call healing is actually..." She blushed deeply. "Your chakra molestation technique!"

"Okay?" Naruto backed off with his hands up in the air. "Well at least you are okay," He offered a hand to help her up, but she hit it away and struggled to her feet, refusing to meet Naruto's gaze.

"Do you remember what happened?" Chichi stepped forwards. "Who it was that attacked you?"

"W-well," Kaguya frowned. "What I remember is…"

* * *

 _Flashback_

Kaguya face reflected her inner turmoil as she headed up to her bedroom, her mind still racing with the fact that Naruto of all people shared her 'DNA' as the doctor called it. She and he were distantly related, albeit so distant that it barely mattered. Still the fact was her servant had noble blood, the same as hers even if it was heavily watered down.

She pushed open her door, pausing when she saw that the bunnies that usually inhabited her room were missing.

"It appears the others have gone somewhere else," Kaguya glanced at Usagi who leapt off of her shoulder to the floor, its nose twitching before it left the room. _'Probably looking for its family.'_ The rabbit goddess sighed as she sat down on her bed, before scowling as she lifted her hand to find it covered with some sort of pinkish-red slime. "Those… Those vulgar commoners! They dare to vandalize my room?! I shall have the servant administer some sort of punishment for them that will fit this heinous crime."

With some difficulty, Kaguya started to strip her bed, casting aside the stained sheets while cursing the 'warty ruffian' and the 'vulgar spider'. She considered yelling for Naruto to assist her, but changed her mind. Some things she had to do for herself, otherwise she would be little more than a lazy noble, letting everyone else do the work while she did nothing. It was nobles who lazed around that annoyed Kaguya the most. The common class and noble class had their own duties to fulfill and those who took all the power of nobility and none of the responsibility were lower than scum in her mind.

Panting slightly after clearing her bed, she made her way towards the closet to get a fresh set of bedding when she heard something moving behind her.

"What is it?" She turned around to face who she thought was Naruto but there was a blur of reddish-pink and suddenly Kaguya found herself stumbling forward, hitting her head on the side of the bed before passing out.

* * *

 _End Flashback_

"So you didn't see your attacker?" Chichi asked.

"No," Kaguya scowled as she looked at her kimono. "And now my only outfit is ruined. Truly this day could not get any worse."

"I'm sure you can get some more clothes," Naruto tried to cheer her up.

"Oh, so you can get another master-crafted kimono made by the legendary tailor Chiso-sensei? The greatest tailor in the lands? A kimono that took him two years to get everything perfect with?" Kaguya remarked angrily. "This was a masterpiece and now…" She clenched her fist. "Another memory of home is… ruined by this world."

"I… I'm sorry," Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "I didn't think it meant so much to you."

"I gathered from your attire that you cared little about clothing," Kaguya remarked snidely. "But for those of us from a noble bloodline..." She paused, "At least those of us with a noble upbringing, clothing is of great importance. It is a fine clothes that separate the man on the throne from the man in the fields."

"I guess that makes sense." Naruto shrugged. "Personally I just like stuff that's orange. Plus has plenty of pockets to store kunai and seals and all that sort of stuff."

"Plus this kimono was a present," Kaguya frowned softly. "From my sons."

"Oh…" Naruto bit his lip as the room fell into an awkward silence.

"Getting back to what is important," Chichi frowned.

"My kimono is very important," Kaguya retorted but was ignored by Chichi, much to the noble's ire.

"We're still no closer to understanding who is attacking us." Chichi looked at Naruto. "I trust you Handler-san, so if you say it isn't you I'll believe you. However, if it was you and you accidentally took a prank too far, I will not report you if you come clean."

"I promise you it wasn't me," Naruto frowned softly.

Chichi stared at him, before nodding her head. "I suspected as much. I just hoped that it was you and not an unknown individual. As a police officer I should not ignore a possibility just because it makes me uncomfortable." She bowed her head. "I apologize Handler-san."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto laughed, "I mean, I guess this is a stressful situation."

"Bah!" Toph exclaimed suddenly. "What are we sitting around doing nothing for then? This house is my territory and nobody messes with me on my home turf!"

"We shouldn't act rashly," Chichi crossed her arms. "The sensible thing to do would be call the police or possibly Agent Smith."

"I guess," Toph reluctantly handed the phone over. "But if we see 'em I'm gonna smack 'em!" She smacked her fist into her palm with a smug grin. "They are gonna regret invading the territory of Toph the Almighty!"

"I'm sure," Chichi replied dryly before glaring at the phone. "Nectophry-san."

"What?" Toph crossed her arms. "Ya got a problem?"

"The phone is dead," Chichi glanced at Toph.

"It was fine early on when I was using it as a flashlight while we boarded up the house."

"Did… Did you turn the light off?"

"Might've forgotten," Toph mumbled.

"Great," Chichi sighed. "And the charger is probably in the living room."

"Well it could be worse," Naruto offered.

Suddenly, all the lights went off and darkness swallowed the room. The only lighting was that of the full moon, although the light it offered was meager.

"...You can't see my face you idiotic servant, but know I am glaring at you in contempt." Kaguya's less than pleased voice cut through the silence.

"So… Too scared to face the almighty Toph in the light, are ya?! I don't care, I'll kick your ass in the dark!" Toph yelled.

"Don't run off! We're safer if we stay together!" Chichi reached out for the Toad Type, grabbing her by the scruff of her jacket. "Fortunately I have excellent night vision, so if we stick together I can keep you all safe. We just have to go to the fuse box and make sure it isn't damaged, then we can turn the lights back on."

"Like hell I'm gonna rely on a copper for protection!" Toph squirmed out of her jacket.

"If you must run off to challenge the invader, would it not be wiser to wait until the vulgar spider has turned the power back on?" Kaguya remarked bluntly.

"Every second that bastard is on my turf pisses me off just that much more!" Toph stormed out of Kaguya's bedroom, tripping over the discarded bedding and hitting the floor with a crash. "D-damn it!" The Toad Type howled as she tried to pull herself out of the bedding. "Fine damn it," She crossed her arms. "I guess I'll stay here, but the moment those lights come back on…"

"Right," Chichi nodded to Kaguya. "You've already been attacked once so I would advise you to stay here. I am sure Handler-san will leave you plenty of clones to ensure your safety."

"No." Kaguya grabbed Naruto's arm. "I… I will not be left here, guarded only by your flimsy clones. As my servant I demand that you protect me. Unlike your clones you can serve as an effective shield."

"Jeez thanks," Naruto deadpanned.

"Also… Should we encounter the brute that attacked me… I shall have my revenge for the unspeakable atrocities inflicted upon me!" _'After all, it is that foul creature's fault that the servant had to use his… ability on me. Plus a commoner should never attack a noble! That is a sin!"_

"Unspeakable atrocities?" Naruto clenched his fists. _'Just what did the assailant do to her?'_

' _ **Why do you care? The fact she's alive is all you really need to get home.'**_ Kurama remarked.

' _She's my responsibility.'_ Naruto frowned. _'I should have been there to help her out. Speaking of which, didn't you notice any feelings of malice?'_

' _ **That's the thing. I didn't sense any hostility. Either whatever attacked her lacks the ability to feel aggression or didn't actually attack her.'**_

' _What do you mean?'_

' _ **LIke when Chichi suggested you'd taken a prank too far. Maybe something was trying to prank her, not hurt her.'**_ Naruto could almost hear the fox shrugging. _**'That's the best guess I can make. I guess you could try sage mode.'**_

' _Oh right…'_ Naruto chuckled weakly as he closed his eyes and stilled himself, gathering just enough natural energy to enter sage mode. _'What the hell?! The entire house… It's saturated with natural energy? I can't sense anything?!'_

' _ **That's really suspicious.'**_ Kurama sounded serious. _**'It's possible whoever is in the house can use natural energy themselves. But no one in this world has chakra, so it would have to be someone from our own.'**_

' _But that's not possible is it? Only Kaguya and I fell into this world. I'm sure I would have noticed someone else when we were falling through the… well I guess the void between worlds?'_

' _ **True… Still, it would be a good idea to stay alert.'**_

' _Will do Kurama.'_ Naruto let out a sigh and opened his eyes, releasing sage mode with a sigh. "Okay… Are you coming Toph?"

"No chance," Toph snorted. "The moment those lights are back on I'm gonna hunt down this bastard! You'd just slow me down."

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "Then I'll leave a few clones up here with you while we go and turn the power back on."

"Suit yourselves," Toph remarked as she struggled out of the bedding.

"Follow me," Chichi started towards the door, before stopping and realizing Naruto was reaching out and taking very small steps with Kaguya holding his arm. "Oh… I guess it's too dark for you two to see."

"I don't see why you can't just carry us," Kaguya remarked.

"Carry you?"

"You have a huge posterior like some sort of beast of burden. Surely carrying us would be far more effective than having this idiot stumble around blindly." Kaguya remarked.

"Huge posterior?" Chichi glanced at her abdomen, _'Is it really that big? I thought it was pretty normal for my species…'_

"I think what Kaguya-chan…"

"That's Kaguya-hime to you."

"...Kaguya-hime-chan." Naruto chuckled at the snort of indignation from Kaguya, "Was trying to say is as you're the only one who can see, it might be easier for all of us it we just rode on your abdomen."

"Y-you want to ride me?" Chichi bit her lip. "I suppose in the situation it cannot be helped." She walked over to them and kneeled down. "I am right beside you on the left hand side."

"Right," Naruto reached out and placed his hand on her abdomen. "Ah I feel you. Heh," He smiled as he felt the slightly fuzzy exterior. "That's a kind of strange sensation."

"Please hurry," Chichi mumbled. "This is somewhat embarrassing for me."

"Ah sorry," Naruto managed to climb on top of her body, although the shape of her abdomen meant he started to slide down until his chest was against her which had the unintended effect of his crotch pressing into her humanoid rear. "S-sorry." He laughed weakly.

"It… It's alright," Chichi mumbled. "Given the circumstances there is nothing that can be done."

"Ahem," Kaguya cleared her throat.

"Well are you getting on or what?" Naruto asked her.

"And how do you expect me to clamber onto the vulgar spiders enormous rear?"

"Oh right… Your arm," Naruto rubbed the back of his head as the clones he had summoned helped Kaguya onto Chichi's abdomen where she sat side saddle, only for the slime covering her causing her to slide down until she was leaning against Naruto.

"Er… Kaguya-chan?" Naruto blinked as Kaguya grabbed his shirt.

"Do not get ideas above your station," Kaguya remarked. "In my current state, there is little friction to stop me falling from even this massive rear. I am merely using you as an anchor."

"I will be setting off shortly," Chichi mumbled, somewhat self-aware thanks to Kaguya's constant remarks.

As if reading her mind, Naruto tried to cheer her up. "I'm sure you are the perfect size for your species," He remarked as he put his hands around her waist to steady himself.

"T-thank you," She mumbled. "Hold on tight. The fuse box is downstairs in one of the unused rooms that's currently holding some of the empty crates from the delivery."

"So plenty of places for our assailant to hide." Naruto frowned.

"Indeed," Chichi nodded. "Don't you know any abilities that can illuminate the area?"

"Well there is my golden cloak…" Naruto started.

"No." Kaguya scowled. "You will not waste my chakra when the vulgar spider is perfectly capable."

"I guess there is my Rasengan. That kind of glows."

"Rasengan?" Kaguya frowned. "That sounds like a waste of chakra."

"Oh it's pretty cool!" Naruto summoned two clones beside Chichi who created the spiralling blue ball in their hands. The glow it generated was minimal however.

"It's too noisy!" Kaguya scolded him. "We might as well start yelling at the top of our voices. Plus it is still a waste of chakra! Whoever taught you that illumination technique was a moron."

"It isn't an illumination technique," Naruto smiled sadly. "It's an attack taught to me by… a great old pervert." He closed his eyes sadly.

"O-Oh," Kaguya floundered slightly, seeing the sad look on Naruto's face as the Rasengan and the clones dispelled. "I apologize. I did not mean to criticize something so important to you. A noble should be more thoughtful of others feelings."

"She says that but I can almost guarantee she'll make another reference to my abdomen," Chichi mumbled under her breath.

"What was that you vulgar spider?" Kaguya frowned.

"We're at the stairs. Please hold on." Chichi started her descent, with Kaguya clinging to Naruto for dear life as she started to slip and slide thanks to her earlier sliming. As she clung to Naruto, she could hear her heart beating as she considered her situation. Something had attacked her and she had been powerless to do anything. That same being apparently understood how the non-chakra based lighting worked and had disabled it. Even with her not entirely useless servant nearby, she had to admit that she didn't feel as safe as she would have liked. Every shadow seemed to contain monsters ready to jump out at a moment's notice and every sudden jerk from Chichi seemed to be her being attacked, causing Kaguya to suppress her instinct to dive off of the Arachne.

She briefly considered allowing Naruto to use his golden cloak so that they could see, but dismissed the thought. Her divine blood demanded that she was an example to the others. She should be fearless and inspire them and by allowing Naruto to use his cloak, not only was she allowing Naruto to waste, what she assumes is, a large amount of chakra, she would also be letting the others know that she was scared and that would be a failure of her duty as a noble.

"Right," Chichi tried to focus on the journey rather than the fact Naruto was being pushed against her back. "This is the room."

"Do you want us to get off?" Naruto offered.

"If you wouldn't mind," Chichi kneeled allowing Kaguya to slide off and land daintily, while Naruto tried to climb off of her, only to put his hand on a slimy patch where Kaguya had been sat and fall over, landing in a groaning heap next to Kaguya.

"Idiotic servant! You could attract the intruder," Kaguya hissed.

"Are you alright Handler-san?" Chichi turned to help him stand.

"Just peachy," Naruto groaned as he got to his feet with a brief nod of thanks to Chichi.

"I shall enter the room first to ensure it is safe," Chichi turned to face Naruto and Kaguya, who were stood still, visible straining to hear any noises that might suggest something was approaching.

"W-wait," Kaguya grabbed Naruto tightly. "You're leaving us blind and helpless?"

"I'm not helpless and if I used my cloak we wouldn't be blind."

"If you use that cloak you might as well start singing and dancing," Kaguya mumbled. "You would be making us a target."

"I can't win with you can I?" Naruto sighed and leaned against the wall.

"I am your lord and you are my servant. I do the thinking and the delicate work, you do the grunt work." Kaguya remarked. "It is your duty."

Naruto chose not to respond, closing his eyes and focusing on the noises around him as Chichi opened the door and entered the room. In the silent house, every step of Chichi's caused a floorboard to creak as she walked into the room.

Thanks to her night vision, she could clearly see the slime around the fuse box, yet no sign of the one responsible. All the boxes around her were sealed tight, and judging by the slime trail, their aggressor had disabled the electricity then left. Chichi opened the fuse box and let out a sigh when she realized all that was required was a few fuses re-seating. No sooner did she reset them than the lights flickered back on. She returned to the hallway to see a relieved looking Naruto and Kaguya.

"Well that's that sorted," Naruto let out a sigh. "Oh…"

"What is it?" Chichi looked at him.

"One of my clones just dispelled itself. Apparently Toph is now on the warpath. Something about reclaiming her territory." Naruto cleared out his ear. "She seems a little more fiery today."

"There is a reason for that," Chichi sighed. "It's a full moon tonight, which is also the time that the attacks happened in the ghost story we were told by Jackie-san."

"Jackie?" Naruto blinked.

"She is another handler who lives on a farm not too far away." Chichi explained as they made their way through the hallway.

"Ah, I think Ken mentioned something about a farm nearby," Naruto nodded remembering the delivery driver's words. "I'm guessing this Jackie runs it then?"

"That is correct," Chichi nodded. "She told us about the history of this farm. To summarize, the previous owner went missing one full moon and apparently there are moans that sounded from the forest every full moon for a while afterwards. The moans stopped, but when people have tried to live on the farm or knock it down, they get attacked."

"I see," Naruto frowned. "I wonder if Ms. Smith knew anything about this?"

"I would be surprised if Sunglasses didn't." Kaguya retorted.

Before Chichi could think of anything to say to defend Agent Smith, there was a loud cry from upstairs and Naruto got the memories of two of his clones suddenly being dispelled.

"That scream sounded like Toph and the clones I left have just dispelled!" Naruto cursed as he started to towards the stairs to the first floor bedrooms, closely followed by Chichi.

"H-hey!" Kaguya hurried after them. "Don't leave me behind!"

* * *

 _A Few Minutes Ago with Toph_

"Ahahaha! Toph rises again!" The Toad-Type cried triumphantly as the clones helped her escape the slimy bedding. "Now… To find that bastard who dares to try and take what's mine!"

"Maybe you should wait for the lights to come back?" One clone suggested.

"Tch," Toph snorted. "Like I need the lights on to beat some coward who won't even face me!"

"So long as you don't come across any bedsheets you should be fine," Another clone replied with a smirk.

"Fight me!" Toph retorted.

"Because that worked so well for you last time?" The third and final clone chimed in.

"I underestimated you," Toph admitted. "But now I'm in a much better state to fight you!"

"Is that so?" The three clones grinned in unison.

"But you're lucky that today I have someone else in mind," Toph pointed her bokken at the door.

"How fortunate of us," The clones deadpanned before looking around as the lights started to flicker back on.

"I guess the boss and Chichi must have sorted out the lights." Clone one remarked.

"Hehehe. Alright then!" Toph charged out of the room, hitting the walls with her bokken. "COME ON OUT YA BASTARD! I'LL PUT MY FIST STRAIGHT THROUGH YA FACE!"

"...One of us should probably let the boss know about this," Clone one remarked.

"Thanks for volunteering," Clone two smirked as he hit clone one, dispelling him.

"Let's make sure that Toph doesn't get herself killed." Clone three gestured for clone two to follow him.

"Hey, who died and made you the boss?" Two grumbled as he followed after the angry toad.

"Come out ya damn chicken!" Toph yelled before slipping on a slime puddle. "D-damn it! Ya trying to make me look stupid!" She quickly leapt back to her feet and looked at the slime trail she had slipped on. "But you're the stupid one. I'm gonna follow this trail right to ya and when I catch ya… Hehehehe…" Toph chuckled darkly and started swinging her bokken madly before following the trail.

"How do you know we aren't following the trail in the wrong way?" Clone two gestured in the opposite direction.

"Simple," Toph looked smug, "My gut's telling me we're getting closer to the bastard."

The two clones shared a glance before shaking their heads as Toph cheerfully and animatedly explained exactly what she was going to do when she caught the intruder.

"That bastard…" Toph froze as the trail stopped at a door. The door to her room to be precise. "So not only do ya invade my turf… ya invade my room! I was gonna go easy on ya since you got the bunny hag but now… It's personal!" She kicked open the door to her room, glaring at the many mounds of clothing. "Tch… They could be anywhere."

"Just turn the light on," Clone two suggested.

"I kinda broke the light when I was practicing my sword swinging," Toph shrugged.

"Why didn't you report it?" Clone three asked.

"What, and get a lecture from the copper? No thanks," Toph snorted. "'Sides, I ain't got nothing to fear in the dark!"

"Except bedding?" Clone two suggested, earning a snicker from clone three.

"Laughing at ya own jokes is just sad boss," Toph remarked as she entered her room, poking the random piles of laundry with her bokken. "Yo Narf. Ya here boy?" She was greeted by silence. "I swear if ya hurt Narf… Oh boy I'm gonna break every bone in ya body. I don't care if it gets me deported!"

There was the sound of movement beneath her bed and Toph grinned.

"Got ya now bastard!" Toph dived underneath her bed only to come face to face with her pet rat, Narf. "Oh… It's just you ya daft bastard." She struggled to get out from under the bed only to find herself stuck. "Oh come on!" She squirmed.

"Hehehe," The two clones shared a grin. "Looks like she's got everything under control."

"Very funny boss." Toph dead panned. "Now get me out of here."

"Sure, sure," The clones bent down to pull her out.

"Hey? What are ya waiting for? Pull me out!" Toph squirmed, freezing when she heard a strange puff noise. "Ya still there?"

She suddenly felt something twist around her leg, something that felt suspiciously like a slimy tentacle. "So… Ya show your face at last ya bastard." There was a tugging on her leg and Toph tried to swing her bokken at her assailant, earning only the slightest glance of a pinkish-red blur before she was swallowed by darkness.

The next thing she knew she felt a strange warm tingling throughout her body that she find pleasurable yet incredibly tiring. As she opened her blurry eyes she saw the concerned faces of Naruto and Chichi.

"What the hell ya want?" Toph mumbled. "Gimme another ten minutes…"

"Are you alright?" Naruto removed his hand from her forehead. "You were attacked."

"Attacked?" Toph grumbled groggily. "Ah that's right!" She suddenly leapt to her feet before being struck by a wave of fatigue. "D-damn… That healing of yours really saps my energy."

"Really?" Naruto looked confused. "It shouldn't do that..."

"Well it did," Toph realized she was coated in slime. "Ah damn it! It got me! Son of a bitch. Attacking me in my own home! Doesn't he get who he is messing with?!"

"You saw your assailant?" Chichi leaned forward. "What did they look like?"

"Well," Toph frowned. "I didn't get a good luck but they must've been at least ten foot tall."

"Ten feet?" Chichi looked around the room. "I'm not sure a ten foot tall assailant would fit in this room."

"Well he was hunched alright? Must have had like a thousand tentacles too, but I cut most of 'em off." Toph puffed out her chest. "If I didn't get distracted trying to defend Narf I would never have lost."

"I don't think we can trust her assessment," Chichi turned to Naruto. "Maybe she's suffering from a concussion or something."

"Probably, when my clones were dispelled she was stuck under the bed." Naruto agreed.

"D-damn it," Toph deflated. "Ya know about that?"

"When my clones are dispelled I get all of their memories." Naruto explained.

"And did your clones see anything?" Chichi asked.

"Unfortunately not," Naruto frowned. "Whatever it is that is attacking is fast and doesn't generate any killing intent."

"Killing intent?" Toph blinks. "That sounds kind of awesome. Like when a real badass gives you a glare and ya know you're gonna die if you try and tangle with them."

"Yeah, it can have the effect when strong," Naruto shivered as he remembered facing off against Zabuza for the first time and the pressure of Zabuza's had Sasuke shaking like a leaf. "But just the act of trying to attack someone usually generates some killing intent, but using… my special abilities I can usually sense such things."

' _ **Yeah… I didn't get anything. I'm kind of concerned about this. Your clones didn't even have time to react before they were destroyed.'**_ Kurama sounded more annoyed than concerned.

' _I know… I guess the only way we are going to catch this intruder is by setting a trap for it. Maybe Chichi has some plans. She says she's a pretty good hunter right?'_ Naruto glanced at the Arachne who was currently lecturing Toph on her reckless behavior.

' _ **Can't you think of a plan?'**_ Kurama asked. _**'You seem to be pretty good at thinking things up on the fly, your less than impressive intellect considered.'**_ Kurama smirked.

' _Ha, ha.'_ Naruto sighed at the insult. _'I have enough of that from Kaguya-chan. I had a few plans but most of them involve using my explosive tags in a trap and to be honest, I don't really have that many of them and the few I have with me will be the last tags I ever have.'_

' _ **Can't you just make more?'**_ Kurama suggested.

' _Well Ero-sennin always used to say creating seals in dangerous work. I… I kind of wish I'd paid a bit more attention to him though. Still no point brooding. Jiraiya would kick my ass if he knew I was moping when there were pretty ladies that needed saving.'_

' _ **Pretty ladies?'**_

' _What? They're all kind of attractive in their own ways.'_

' _ **... If you say so.'**_ Kurama's voice made it clear he didn't see what Naruto was talking about, _'_ _ **People are just people to you, even me.'**_ Kurama chuckled. _**'Maybe you just have a unique viewpoint of the world.'**_ He settled down.

"Hey Chichi," Naruto interrupted the Long Legs-Type's lecture. "I was thinking, you're a pretty good hunter right?"

"I'm an accomplished hunter, yes," Chichi nodded.

"Can't you think of a way to trap whoever keeps attacking us?"

"Well." Chichi looked thoughtful. "They seem to prefer ambush tactics so it's clear they know what they're doing. It's always harder to hunt the hunter. All we know is that apparently it is ten feet tall with tentacles, if we are to trust Toph."

"Maybe I was exaggerating on the height and number of tentacles," Toph admitted. "But still, it definitely had tentacles! They were made of a sort of thicker slime than the slime that it leaves around!"

"So it has tentacles… and exudes slime…" Kaguya frowned. "What a positively revolting creature. No doubt it is an ugly beast and is so hideous that it keeps to the shadows."

"I bet it'll be a cute girl." Naruto stated.

"Why do you say that?" Chichi glanced at him.

"Well, I remember Kaguya-chan thinking that Tio-chan was a big burly man and we all know how that played out."

"The big breasted ogre," Kaguya scowled. "She may have the body and personality of a girl but she… er…" The former goddess trailed off.

"In that case I agree with the boss," Toph nodded.

"That you got your ass handed to you by a cute girl?" Naruto chuckled.

"Eh? I mean I agree with Kaguya 'cause it was huge and real ugly looking." Toph quickly changed her tune. "And I didn't get my ass handed to me! It took me by surprise! I would've won otherwise!"

"Sure, sure," Naruto chuckled before returning his attention to Chichi.

"The only way to trap this hunter would be to lure them into a situation where they think they are in control and turn the tables on them." Chichi nodded and paused for a brief moment before speaking again, "I have a plan."

"This ought to be good," Toph snorted.

"I'm sure I will achieve better results than you." Chichi remarked calmly. "Unlike you, I actually have a plan of attack."

"I do have a plan, it's to attack!" Toph declared.

"In order for the plan to work we need bait." Chichi pointed out. "This house is too big to go around trying to find this intruder. We need to get them to come to us."

"I volunteer one of my clones," Naruto suggested.

"That'll work," Chichi nodded. "If memory serves, on the third floor are plenty of rooms that we don't use at the moment correct?"

"Third floor?" Naruto looked thoughtful, "I think I have some of the spare bedroom furniture in one of them but the rest are pretty much empty."

"Excellent. Do you have a wardrobe that you could hide in?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "At least I'm pretty sure there's one there."

"Here's the plan then. Your clone will make noise to attract the hunter and lure it into the room. I will be hidden in a corner of the room and you will hide in the wardrobe. That way even if one of us gets sneak attacked, the other is in a position to assist. If all goes as planned when the hunter attacks the clone, I will leap down and pin it to the floor and you will leap out of the wardrobe and assist me."

"And what are we going to be doing?" Kaguya asked.

"I was going to suggest that you locked yourselves in a room together." Chichi offered. "Given that you two have already been attacked once then left relatively unharmed, it would make sense that whatever the hunter is after, it isn't you."

"So ya want me to just sit this one out?" Toph snorted. "Like hell I am!"

"Fine," Chichi decided not to argue, "There will be plenty of furniture for you to hide in, I'm sure. I am sure that once my plan is carried out, we will have this hostile defeated and we can call Ms. Smith to collect them."

"That's a thought," Naruto glanced to Chichi. "Did you put the phone on the charger?"

"I didn't have time if you remember. As soon as I had restored the lights we were required to save Toph."

"Hey I didn't need saving!" Toph declared. "I had the bastard right where I wanted him."

"Far away from you?" Kaguya suggested.

"Fight me!" Toph snapped.

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of being crushed by a noble."

"...Oh…" Toph stepped back from her glacial glare.

"Let's… Let's just get the plan all set up," Naruto and Chichi tried their best not to snicker at Toph's rapidly paling face.

* * *

 _Ten Minutes Later_

The third floor of the house was full of unused rooms, most of which were completely empty. While Kaguya would complain about the house and the dilapidated state it had been in when they first arrived, the fact was it was practically a mansion. Each floor was large enough to hold several families (or enough servants for a minor noble by Kaguya's estimation) and as Chichi had mentioned, with only four people to search the grounds the intruder could easily evade them and strike at their leisure.

Naruto convinced himself for the fifth time that this plan was their best chance for success as Toph 'accidentally' elbowed him in the stomach. Kaguya, Toph and he were all hiding in a wardrobe, on the grounds that the only other thing in the room of unused furniture that could hold one of them was a chest with an incredibly heavy lid. If Toph was in it, the shape of the box meant she could only kick against the side and not bring her full force to bear against the lid, which was too heavy for her to lift with her arms.

Naruto would have had more success, but Kaguya was adamant that he fulfill his duty as her servant and stay close enough to be used as a meat shield should the situation demand it and they both couldn't fit in the chest. Admittedly it was very cramped in the wardrobe, the three packed in like sardines. Naruto assumed Kaguya and Toph were tired from their earlier ordeals as they weren't complaining about the arrangement, although Toph was muttered a very graphic description of what she was going to do when she got a hold of the one responsible for humiliating her.

Kaguya was just eerily silent. Ever since she had climbed into the wardrobe with him, she just stared at the door, rocking ever so slightly and twitching every now and again.

' _Whatever that bastard did to her has really messed her up.'_ Naruto narrowed his eyes.

' _ **Yeah… She does seem a little out of it doesn't she?'**_ Kurama agreed.

' _I wonder what time it is.'_ Kaguya stared at the wooden door, lost in thought. _'I am starting to feel a little exhausted… Still, I must not lose focus. I have to set an example to the others… Although… It is kind of comfy in here…'_ She leaned forward as she started to drift to sleep before quickly snapping out of it and jerking backwards. _'Curses! I nearly fell asleep. It is my duty as noble to see this through to the end!'_

Outside the cramped wardrobe, the clone was looking around the room nervously. As well as the ornate chest and the wooden wardrobe, the room had various bits and pieces scattered around the room. There was an old set of drawers that was badly damaged, the old kitchen table that Naruto hadn't been able to repair and an armchair that was missing most of its fabric, leaving only a wire frame. In order to keep Chichi hidden in the shadows, they had removed the light bulb from the socket to make the hunter less suspicious why this lone person was in a dark room.

Chichi was perched in a corner of the room, her six eyes focused on the clone, waiting for the moment to strike. Maybe it was her love of hunting or her species natural hunter mindset being amplified by the full moon, but she was excited. This was almost as exciting as in her crime dramas, where the pieces of the puzzle are all starting to fall into place, where all the professional policing is starting to pay off. That feeling as you waited for the final moment, the time to strike, even the challenge of taking the target down without breaking the law… Chichi loved every bit of it.

She was fairly certain that a Liminal was to blame for the attacks, which made things easier for her. Had the assailant been human, she would have found it difficult to capture them without violating the very laws she had sworn to uphold. But she had committed herself to stopping this trespasser who was attacking her fellows, and when Chichi committed to something, she committed 100%.

In this case however, she was so focused on the clone, ready to carry out her plan, that she wasn't paying sufficient attention to her surroundings. The only warning she got was the sensation of something wrapping around her abdomen. Before she could cry out a warning she was hurled out of her hiding spot, dispelling the clone and crashing into the wardrobe and knocking it over. As her vision blurred she could have sworn she saw glowing green eyes in the darkness and a voice growling " **NECTAR..!** "

The sudden movement disorientated Naruto and as they wardrobe fell resulted in everyone inside getting elbowed and headbutted as they fell into each other, landing on their backs looking worse for wear as the doors of the wardrobe now faced the ceiling.

"Chichi?" Naruto called out as her rubbed his forehead where one of Kaguya's horns had struck him. "Chichi?!" He yelled loud and tried to push the door open. "Damn it… Something's on top!"

"Get me out of here servant!" Kaguya ordered as Naruto tried to push the door.

"Crap… My ankle!" Toph grimaced. "I think I twisted my ankle."

"What the…" Naruto blinked as a glob of slime oozed through a gap in the wardrobe. "This is… oh no. CHICHI!" Naruto banged on the doors before closing his eyes. _'Kurama!'_

' _ **Way ahead of you.'**_ The mighty kitsune channeled chakra to Naruto, activating his golden cloak and allowing him to lift the doors and the heavy weight to slide off of it.

"Where is it?" He looked around. "Damn it!"

"Looks like it got away," Toph winced as she clambered out of the wardrobe.

"Chichi?" Naruto dropped his golden cloak aura. "Crap, she was what was holding the doors shut!" He ran over to the slumped spider-woman who had been knocked to the side of the wardrobe when the doors were opened. "Come on Chichi." He held out his palm and tried to heal her, earning a soft moan from the Arachne as she came too.

"More…" She mumbled.

"Chichi are you alright?"

"Huh?" Her six eyes started to focus on Naruto. "Handler-san? What… I... " Her eyes suddenly widened. "It got me didn't it?" She looked at the slime covering her entire body. "I failed..."

"At least you're alright," Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

"But the criminal got away." Chichi clenched her fists angrily. "I… I thought I was the hunting the hunter, but I was still the prey after all. Sorry… I let you down Handler-san."

"Chichi," Naruto sighed. "There's no need to be so down. Sure we got a little bruised, but we're still up and alive aren't we? We live and learn."

"Yes," Chichi struggled to her feet. "I… I apologize. I feel extremely fatigued. Maybe I should lay down."

"Ha! Typical copper. Can't take a hit." Toph mocked as she limped over.

"You don't look too good either," Chichi grumbled.

"I think the best thing to do is to get you somewhere safe." Naruto frowned.

"Where is safe though?" Toph frowned. "It's like that thing can go through the walls."

"Indeed," Chichi nodded. "I had the door and windows in my view at all times. It wasn't in the room when we started so it must be able to ooze through the walls."

"Then we should go to the bathroom." Naruto decided.

"Of course," Chichi nodded. "The bathroom is water-tight which means the only way in or out is through the main door, even if it can ooze through walls the waterproof material in the bathroom should be safe enough."

"I for one would not turn down the chance to clean myself of this slime," Kaguya agreed.

"Okay then," Naruto nodded. "I'll use clones to ensure the way is safe."

The others simply nodded, too tired at this point to argue.

The journey to the bathroom was relatively uneventful, despite Toph reacting to every sudden noise. When they arrived in the bathroom she looked far happier.

"We need a plan," Chichi frowned, "Or else we won't stand a chance."

"We just need to find it and kick its ass." Toph declared. "It invaded my territory and needs to get an ass whooping!"

"What is with you today?" Kaguya scowled at Toph. "You are more annoying than usual."

"Fight Me… Er…" Toph remembered the earlier gaze. "Never mind." She mumbled.

"It's a full moon," Chichi paused. "Surely you understand what that means?"

"Should I?" Kaguya ran the cold water tap and started to wash her face.

"We Liminals tend to be more influenced by our instincts and our emotions run higher on days like these." Chichi coughed awkwardly. "Even I am affected, as much as it shames me to admit it."

"Really? I can't say I noticed a massive difference," Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"You are kind to say so, but I know my failures Handler-san. I… I have not even mentioned a law this entire night."

"Huh…" Naruto looked thoughtful. "That is a point."

"When you asked me my plan, all I thought of was the hunt and the satisfaction of capturing my prey." Chichi bowed her head. "Toph is suffering from increased territorial aggression."

"Well my turf is under attack!" Toph crossed her arms angrily. "I have every right to be pissed!"

"And Kaguya-san appears far more clingy than usual."

"Excuse me?" Kaguya twitched. "I am not suffering from any 'Full Moon' related issues."

"But all Liminals do," Chichi frowned. "That's why you haven't left Handler-san's side since you woke up."

"I am not a Liminal." Kaguya scowled. "I am something far more."

Before Chichi could ask for more, Naruto interrupted.

"Look, this isn't really helping us out." Naruto frowned. "What we need to do is call the emergency number that Ms. Smith gave us."

"But the phone is dead," Chichi produced the phone from her utility belt, "And the charger is in the first floor living room."

"Then I'll go and charge it." Naruto nodded. "With my clones I'll be perfectly safe. I'll even leave a few here to guard you, alright?"

"That… That is probably the best plan." Chichi nodded tiredly as she handed the phone over. "I apologize for being such a burden."

"Not at all," Naruto chuckled. "I'm the host right? It's my job to look after you all. You girls just stay put and recover alright? I'll be back with a charged phone before you know it."

"Handler-san… Be careful." Chichi frowned. "I was confident in my own ability and that was my downfall."

"Yeah this creature ain't messing around boss." Toph rubbed her ankle. "Keep your eyes open."

"Got it," Naruto nodded and stood up to leave.

"Wait! Where do you think you are going?" Kaguya asked.

"To charge the phone so we can call for help," Naruto blinked.

"I am going with you." Kaguya declared. "This creature has embarrassed me for the last time."

"But…" Naruto sighed. "I guess I can't change your mind huh?"

"If a single commoner could influence a noble's decision, what a sad state of affairs the world would be in." Kaguya declared.

"You know I have told you before that I was pretty much a prince of my village," Naruto grumbled.

"I will acknowledge there is… a slight nobility to you," Kaguya looked as if she had been forced to swallow a lemon, "But still I outrank you."

"...What?"

"Even amongst nobles there are several ranks and you barely qualify for the lowest category. Maybe the lesser lord of a small village perhaps, whereas I was a member of a ruling monarchy before becoming a goddess. Ergo I am the highest ranked noble in this household."

"... Whatever," Naruto shook his head as they left the bathroom.

"'I'm not a Liminal, I don't stick to Servant-chan. I'm better than you all'" The instant the door closed, Toph had started doing her best Kaguya impression and maybe it was the fatigue, but Chichi genuinely found it funny.

She just hoped Kaguya never found out she laughed. "Let's get ourselves cleaned up."

* * *

 _With Naruto and Kaguya_

"So you have a plan I assume?" Kaguya looked around the hallways nervously. She was keeping close to Naruto and continuously scanning around them. As a former goddess, this helplessness was not a feeling she appreciated. It was a painful reminder of how far she had fallen.

"Kind of," Naruto shrugged. "We find the charger for the phone then we call for help from Ms. Smith."

"And in the meantime?" Kaguya jumped as a door creaked open and a clone grinned at her, before wilting under her intense glare.

"Whatever it is that's attacking us seems to only target people when they're alone or with clones. It seems to know my clones are easy to destroy." Naruto frowned slightly. "Plus it's been showing some signs of intelligence by going after the power and realizing that we were trying to set a trap for it."

"Whilst you have every right to be envious of its intelligence, that doesn't answer my question." Kaguya remarked bluntly.

"If we all stick together I don't think it will attack." Naruto nodded. "If it is intelligent than it must know that attacking us all together would be suicide."

"And you are basing this on what evidence?"

"Er… My gut instinct?" Naruto laughed weakly.

"We are all going to die." Kaguya sighed. "If had my former powers I would have utterly destroyed this assailant by now."

"Well if someone wouldn't complain whenever I try and use my abilities maybe I would have already resolved this," Naruto grumbled.

"There is no need to be wasteful with my chakra," Kaguya scoffed. "Besides I have not been complaining about the excessive amount of clones you are creating am I?"

"Well no…" Naruto admitted.

"And if you were to use your glowing form, what would that actually achieve?" Kaguya asked.

"Er…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Well I would be faster and stronger?"

"Ah and that would help how?" Kaguya asked. "Considering we cannot seem to find the assailant?"

"I… er…" Naruto's shoulders slumped.

"Exactly," Kaguya smirked. "It is not my fault that you do not think before wasting my chakra. If you used it effectively I would have less of an incentive to complain."

"I'm noting that you didn't say you would stop complaining." Naruto shook his head as they walked into the living room. There were a few clones who nodded at him as he entered, before returning to their assigned task of patrolling the house. So far he hadn't received the memories of any being destroyed so it looked like the intruder was trying to stay under the radar for the time being, although the slime trail suggested their uninvited guest had been through this room.

"How unpleasant," Kaguya grimaced as she looked at the slime trail over several of the seats. "You are sure that the creature isn't here?"

"My clones have been patrolling the area," Naruto assured Kaguya as he made his way towards a small coffee table. "Huh… That's not promising," He ran a finger along the glass table and looked at thin coating of slime.

"Do you think the strange creature has stolen the 'charger' as the vulgar spider called it?" The former rabbit goddess fidgeted with the sleeve of her kimono.

"It's possible," Naruto frowned. "I mean, it was smart enough to disable the power. Maybe it could tell that phone's battery was empty."

"Or possible it was eavesdropping on us when the ruffian toad tried to use the phone."

"Yeah… It had just attacked you, so it could have been hiding nearby." Naruto sighed. "So I guess that's my plan out of the window. Back to 'Plan Naruto'!"

"If the plan is as stupid as it's name then I shall start working on my last will and testament."

"H-hey!" Naruto crossed his arms. "My name isn't stupid."

"You are correct. Servant is not a stupid name."

"You still don't remember my real name, do you?"

"... A noble does not remember the names of those who serve her. Have I not informed you of this before when you tried to tell me Ken Minoru's name?"

"What?! You remember his name but now mine?" Naruto looked at her. "He's just a delivery driver who you've never even met!"

"Oh?" Kaguya had a smug look on her face. "Does it bother you that I claim to not know your name?"

"Not at all," Naruto lied as he continued to search the room for any sign of the phone charger. Chichi had briefly shown him how to use it, although it was quickly decided that Naruto was not to be trusted with the phone after learning there was a number he could ring that would result in Ramen being delivered direct to their house. When it came to Naruto and Chichi, it was usually hard to tell who was the host and who was the exchange student.

After ten minutes of searching, Naruto finally decided the charger wasn't in the room. He sat down on a chair with a heavy sigh, shortly joined by Kaguya who sat next to him.

"So what was 'Plan Naruto'?" She asked.

"Find and beat up the intruder until they see the error of their ways." Naruto replied honestly.

"And you believe that would work?" The former goddess sighed.

"You'd be surprised how many time it has in the past." Naruto chuckled.

"I see," Kaguya chose not to comment further. "And how do you plan on luring out the assailant?"

"Well I figured if I created enough clones so that every room was occupied then it would have nowhere to hide," Naruto suggested.

"And how many rooms are there in this house? Not to mention it could have fled and be hiding in one of the barns."

"The barns…" Naruto's eyes widened. "You're a genius!"

"Compared to you certainly," Kaguya remarked dryly. "But do enlighten me as to why you have come to this realization so late."

"I remember when Chichi and I were looking around there was this one barn that made me feel like I was being watched." Naruto grinned. "I'll bet the assailant was there! Maybe that was its home until we disturbed it!"

"So the assault on my noble person took place because you and the vulgar spider stuck your noses where they didn't belong?" Kaguya scowled.

"Technically this entire farm is mine, so the barn does belong to me… I think?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I'll escort you to the bathroom and then I'll go and face this assailant by myself."

"With your limited intelligence, such a course of action is doomed to failure," The noble snorted, "I shall lend you my valuable intelligence and in turn, receive the satisfaction of seeing the one who dared to… perform such a heinous act receive their just desserts!"

"Are you sure?" Naruto gestured to a clock on the wall that showed the time was 01:15. "It'll be pretty dark out there and if I'm to sneak up on this assailant then I can't use my golden cloak."

' **Your** _ **golden cloak?'**_ Kurama remarked huffily.

"I will not be swayed servant." Her tone of voice made it clear that the debate was over and Naruto knew better than to argue.

"Okay, okay," Naruto sighed as he summoned a small group of clones. "Let's end this so we can all get some rest."

* * *

 _Back with Chichi and Toph_

Chichi stood in the shower with her eyes closed, allowing the gentle spray of water to rinse the last of the slime from her long hair. While the shower had succeeded in cleaning her of the slime that had clung to her clothes, it hadn't shaken the fatigue from her body. As she stepped out of the shower, she couldn't help but marvel with the size of the bathroom.

while there was a normal bathroom already in the house, this one had been installed by Smith shortly after Chichi herself had moved in. There were several showers large enough to easily fit her as well as coming with various settings to help make showering as comfortable as possible for a variety of Liminals. As an Arachne, these settings were very useful as due to her ability to breath through her skin, she was not a fan of being completely submerged in water. while she wouldn't drown if her abdomen was submerged, it would be extremely uncomfortable as her air intake would be greatly limited. It was the reason she never used a bath.

Speaking of baths, this custom bathroom had a large one, although it could have been mistaken for a small swimming pool, a misconception that was currently being reinforced by Toph as she swam around inside of it.

Stifling a yawn, Chichi walked over to a towel cabinet stocked with towels for a variety of Liminal sizes, drying her hair and humanoid body before glancing at her slimed clothes with a frown. With a tired sigh, she set to work trying to clean the worst of the slime from her clothes, reasoning that going alone to get a fresh set was just asking to be attacked.

"You shouldn't stay in a warm bath too long," Chichi advised Toph as the Toad-Type floated on the surface.

"Tch," Toph glared at Chichi, "Look at ya, flaunting that damn body. No wonder the rabbit hag calls ya a vulgar spider."

"I have all the correct proportions for my species," Chichi remarked bluntly as continued to scrub her clothing to remove as much slime while keeping them as dry as possible.

"Tch," Toph clambered out of the bath. "So…"

"So?" Chichi prompted.

"Ya think the boss is gonna make it?" Toph glanced at Chichi. "I mean it's not that I particular care or nothing but… He _is_ kind of my last chance to stay in the program."

"Yes," Chichi glanced at the many showers, "I have a feeling that Agent Smith is counting on Handler-san living for some time judging by the facilities she had installed in this house."

"Ya reckon?" Toph snorted. "The suit probably just wants as many free meals outta him as she can get."

"Agent Smith is the coordinator for the exchange and should be shown some respect as of article…"

"Oh come off it," Toph sighed. "Ya were doing so well up till then."

"In light of current circumstances… I suppose I can overlook it just this once," Chichi conceded. "And unfortunately I suspect while your terms were lacking in the proper respect, you are not incorrect with your judgement. Still, Agent Smith did seem to try hard to get me put onto the program. And unlike a certain someone, I would not have required much paperwork to send back home."

"Hehehe," Toph grinned. "I'm such a badass they'd have to hire an entire elite guard to send me away!"

"Or just one ogress?" Chichi reminded her.

"Tch," Toph scowled as she sat down next to the busy Arachne, "She took me by surprise!"

"Just like this mysterious assailant," Chichi chuckled as she folded her shirt and put it to one side before lifting up her custom skirt and started to clean the slime from it.

"Hey! It got you too." The Toad-Type defended herself.

"Indeed," Chichi nodded. "My pride has taken a blow today. I was so sure that I was the hunter that I never even considered the fact that I was the prey. Whoever it is is definitely a dangerous opponent."

"But it doesn't seem to want to kill us," Toph frowned. "Ya reckon it thinks we aren't worth killing?"

"Who knows?" Chichi replied honestly. "I've never seen anything like this before." She paused for a second as she looked at the sullen toad girl. "It's showing signs of intelligence, so I would be surprised if it didn't have some sort of plan."

"Whatever it is, it's a coward." Toph reached for her bokken and pointed it at the ceiling, "Always running before ya can get in a good hit on it. I have no respect for cowards!"

"I'm not sure whether I would call it a coward. It's tactics are well thought through. If it wanted us dead then I fear that Handler-san would be the only person still alive." Chichi frowned. "By not killing us, but leaving us in a state that made it clear we were completely helpless… It's almost as if it's trying to scare us away."

"How'd ya figure that?" Toph glanced at Chichi.

"Well it isn't trying to kill us. It had plenty of time to do that with you and Kaguya-san." Chichi frowned. "It's attacks seem to be trying to generate fear rather than injure us."

"But why would it want to chase us away?" The smaller Liminal frowned before sparring an imaginary foe. While she didn't say anything so as to avoid possibly provoking Toph, Chichi had to admit that her technique was pretty impressive. She was fast and quick and used short, explosive leaps to close the distance between her and her target in order to continually harass them. Admittedly her fighting style relied on her legs and if she was unable to leap at her target, her sword skills would not be enough to defend herself for a long period of time. _'It also helps that she has such a modest chest. It allows her to keep her balance while performing her more acrobatic attacks.'_ Chichi glanced at her own chest. _'Not that I am complaining.'_

"For some reason I get the feeling I should be pissed off at ya," Toph paused in her actions. "What are ya staring at?"

"I was just deep in thought about our attacker," Chichi looked away from Toph, "Maybe… It's protecting something." Chichi's eyes widened as she realized something. "The forge… I vaguely remember Handler-san commenting on feeling like he was being watched when we were there. It could be trying to protect something in there. I mean, Handler-san and I had a quick look around, but we didn't see anything of value. Maybe the forge was built on something and that was why the original owner was attacked."

"The forge? Isn't that where ya found those sword holsters?"

"Oh," Chichi turned away with a slight blush as she recalled the condoms that Toph and Naruto had been playing with as they tried to figure out their purpose. "Er… Yes."

"Well if ya right… Then maybe we can threaten the bastard who dares defile my turf," The shorter Liminal started to grin evilly. "We could threaten to burn the forge down. That would get it's attention."

"I don't know if I can overlook arson," Chichi frowned.

"Doesn't the boss own this farm anyway?" Toph pointed out, "Just call it some heavy DIY?"

"I don't think burning down a building could be overlooked so simply." Chichi shook her head.

"Tch, ya just jealous you didn't think about it." Toph remarked as she walked over to her pile of clothes and started to shake them furiously to dislodge as much slime as possible. "I was always raised to believe that when someone messes with your stuff you mess up there's even more."

"Who taught you that?"

"My mother," Toph shrugged as something flew out of her clothes.

"Really?" Chichi paused. "I just realized but… We really don't know that much about each other, do we?"

"What's there to know? You're a copper, I'm a badass."

"I feel that we would get along a lot more easily if we understood each other better and I do believe there is a lot we can talk about." Chichi tried her best to appear warm and welcoming, as she recalled reading in her book on defusing conflicts.

"I don't do girly talks," Toph fidgeted.

"Didn't you have any sisters to talk to?"

"Oh I had plenty of sisters," The Toad-Type rubbed her ribs. "We were never much for talking though. Toad-Type Bullywugs aren't the family type."

"Oh," Chichi frowned softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I'm not looking for pity!" Toph glared at Chichi. "I don't need pity. I'm plenty strong!"

"Is strength so important to you?"

"Ya gotta be strong to survive. It's that simple." Toph frowned. "When ya got hundreds of people out for ya blood, being merciful isn't exactly an option."

"Hundreds of people?" Chichi paused. "What did you do that earned you that sort of hatred?"

"...I was born."

"Oh…" Chichi found herself wishing she had her book on hand for some hints on what to say.

"Not that I'm expecting ya to understand." Toph chuckled. "This is my baggage. I don't need no one getting all up in my business ya hear?"

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Toph tossed her clothes to the floor.

"Your past."

"I'm not." The Toad-Type smirked. "It was… educational. I learned how to live in this world. At the end of the day ya can only trust yourself."

"That's a sad way to look at the world." Chichi shook her head. "You'll be lonely if you never let anyone close."

"Hah," Toph shook her head. "Ya let people close they just find it easier to stick the knife in your back. Not that I'm guessing you get that. I'll bet ya had a happy upbringing."

"W-well," Chichi had to agree. "My upbringing was a happy one. My mother made sure we were looked after, but let us make our own decisions. She was a little insistent that I make my own way so I decided to join the program, but it wasn't as if she was chasing me out of our home, that's just how we Long Leg-Types are."

"Sounds nice," Toph remarked lazily, "Never having to watch your back as a kid… Ya haven't seen the darkness that lies at the hearts of people like I have. Your kinda like the boss in that aspect. I know for a fact if our roles had been reversed I wouldn't have let the boss live if he challenged me for control of my turf."

"I don't know," Chichi shook her head. "I think you're a better person than you think you are. It'll just take the right people to make you realize it." The Arachne looked fired up. "I can't change your past, but I swear I'll help you overcome it and become a productive member of society!"

"Good luck with that," Toph shook her head at the larger Liminal's look of determination and walked over to the strange object that had been dislodged from her clothes when she had shaken them. "Say copper?" She held it up. "Is this the phone charger?"

"...Yes it is…" Chichi sighed. "Let's get dressed and find Handler-san. Then we can put the phone on charger and call for back-up. I just hope that he's not about to do something stupid."

* * *

 _With Naruto and Kaguya_

The fields were deadly silent as Kaguya and Naruto laid down in the long grass to spy on the forge. At least Naruto was laid on the grass. Even slimed up, Kaguya refused to have her dress dirtied any more than it already was and as such was sitting on a mat that was a Kage Bunshin using Henge.

' _I can't even hear any insects,'_ Naruto frowned as he squinted at the dark building, trying to look for any signs of life or movement from within. _'The natural energy seems to be saturating here too so my Sage Mode's is still useless for detecting whatever's attacking. Any luck sensing any hostiles?'_

' _ **The only hostility I can sense is from Kaguya.'**_ Kurama yawned. _**'Which is odd considering all the local wildlife appears to have fled further into the forest, including Kaguya's pet army. If the threat isn't exuding any malice or killing intent, you would imagine that the wildlife would pretty much ignore it.'**_

' _Something's definitely not right,'_ Naruto glanced at Kaguya, who was staring at him unimpressed, before returning his gaze to the forge. _'I guess I should send some clones in first to investigate.'_ He thought to himself as he summoned a group of five clones who cautiously advanced on the forge.

' _ **Careful, you don't want Ms. 'I used to be a goddess' complaining about you wasting 'her' chakra.'**_ Kurama scoffed.

' _I doubt she'd make too much noise. She must realize how serious this situation is.'_ Naruto paused before glancing again at Kaguya, whose face was quite clearly saying 'Why did you summon five? Stop wasting my chakra!'

Two of the clones took up positions either side of the large barn doors with two of the remaining ones clambering up the sides of the barn walls to peer in through windows. After several minutes of silence, the last clone nodded to the two on the door and opened one and peered inside before signalling for the other clones to follow him inside, turning on a flashlight that Naruto had taken from the house.

Naruto took a deep breath as he waited for his clones to either be dispelled or signal that everything was clear.

"Yo boss! It's empty." One of the clones yelled.

' _ **Or maybe they could just draw the attention of whatever it is that's hunting you.'**_ Kurama snorted.

"Idiots," Kaguya stood up as she followed Naruto towards the barn housing the forge.

"I think you should stay here," Naruto glanced at the former goddess.

"Why?" Kaguya eye's narrowed. "Are you intending to use me as bait?"

"What? No!" Naruto shook his head. "But if my clone yelling did attract unwanted attention there are plenty of places to hide in the forge."

"So wouldn't that be better?" Kaguya challenged.

"I meant for our assailant to hide to launch an ambush. While the lighting isn't brilliant," Naruto gestured to the full moon partially covered by clouds, "At least you're in an open space. Since the intruder only seems to attack at close range, it'll be harder for them to attack you if you stay outside with some of my clones."

"Not it!" The five summoned clones yelled at once.

Kaguya twitched at the clone's outburst but decided to focus her anger on the original. "And why are you entering? Wouldn't it be safer just to use your clones?"

"Yes, Yes it would," The clones chirped as one.

"If the creature attacks then I can defend myself better than the clones and if the phone charger is in here, then we have to get it. Our survival could depend on it."

' _ **I'm sure the fact it would allow you to get a few moments away from Kaguya completely slipped your mind.'**_ Kurama remarked bemusedly.

' _Well, she has been a little clingy today.'_ Naruto frowned. _'Not to mention she was in an odd mood the whole way home.'_

"Fine," Kaguya sighed heavily. "If my survival counts on retrieving this 'charger' I find myself unable to think of a good reason for you not to go in."

"Great," Naruto nodded. "I'll be back in a few moments."

"You'd better," Kaguya and the clones responded in unison, the lead clone tossing him the flashlight.

Naruto merely rolled his eyes at his clones' antics before summoning a couple more and entering the barn, the flashlight's beam throwing all the shadows into sharp relief but otherwise revealing a scene almost identical to what he'd seen when he had last been in here with Chichi.

"No slime boss," One of the clones cheerfully informed him. "Looks like it isn't here."

"Looks like it," Naruto nodded in agreement as the beam from the flashlight danced across the walls. "I guess I was wrong."

"B-boss!" One clone pointed to a small pot that was shaking.

Naruto merely nodded and put a finger on his lips as he walked over to the pot, flanked by the two clones, counting down from five on his fingers. On five he flipped over the pot, causing its contents to fall on the floor, with the other two clones forming a Rasengan ready to attack.

"Oh…" Naruto's shoulders dropped as a small rabbit rolled out of the pot. "False alarm," He gestured at the other clones to dispel the Rasengan.

"Isn't that the bunny hag's main bunny? The one she had on her shoulder earlier?" One of the clones kneeled down to look at the rabbit.

"Usagi right?" Naruto kneeled down at the shivering rabbit. "You were probably with Kaguya when she was attacked."

"Yeah looks like there's some slime on it too," One of the clones reached out to grab Usagi, only to dispel when the frightened rabbit took a bite out of the chakra construct's outstretched palm.

"Go get Kaguya," Naruto chuckled. "No doubt she'll want to know that Usagi is alright."

"Are you sure boss?"

"Yeah," Naruto looked around, shining the flashlight around the roof. "We're alone here."

"You're the boss," The clone shrugged as he walked outside.

"Well then Usagi…" Naruto smile became frozen as he felt something drop onto his shoulder. _'Kurama.'_

' _ **Yes?'**_

' _I definitely checked the ceiling right?'_

' _ **Yes, you did. But you do remember that forge has a few holes in the roof and that this assailant appears to be good at climbing walls stealthily, don't you? Hell, it managed to sneak up on the spider girl when she was setting a trap of for it.'**_

' _Ah…'_ Naruto turned to look at the glob of reddish-pink slime that had landed on his shoulder. He slowly looked up and saw two green eyes staring at him from the shadows, _'Well… This happened.'_

"I hear you found Usagi," Kaguya walked in and the creature's eyes seemed to lock onto her. "What? Stunned by my majesty?" She smirked.

"Get out of here! It's here!" Naruto warned before there was a pinkish-red blur and he was sent sprawling into some boxes, dropping the flashlight that rolled across the floor, illuminating the far wall, leaving Naruto and his struggle to be shrouded by darkness. Usagi bolted towards Kaguya and hid itself in her kimono as she squinted into the darkness, trying to spot the being that had attacked her earlier this night. After what seemed like an age, the sounds of struggling seemed to stop.

"S-servant?" Kaguya paused momentarily only to hear a deep guttural voice chanting " **NECTAR, NECTAR, NECTAR!** "

"Servant?!" Kaguya tried to see through the darkness, being caught unaware by another pink blur heading towards her. Fortunately Naruto, having swapped places with his clone at the last moment, picked her up bridal style and leapt clear of the reddish-pink tentacle.

"Was that a note of concern I heard in your voice? Aw shucks. I didn't know you cared."

"Servant?" Kaguya's brief look of relief was quickly replaced by one of confusion. "How…"

"Heh," Naruto smirked as he skidded to a halt outside the barn. "There's _always_ more than one of me. If you think you've hit me, you've probably hit my clone."

"Cease your attempts to impress me," Kaguya remarked. "And explain."

"Well you see there's this technique called the Substitution Jutsu and it lets me swap places with just about anything, so I swapped places with one of the clones that was guarding you and…"

"Not that." Kaguya growled. "Explain why you feel the need to carry me in such a position? Are you getting thoughts above your station?"

"Eh?" Naruto looked confused.

"Unhand me at once!" She refused to make eye contact with a slight blush coloring her pale cheeks.

"Jeez," Naruto dropped Kaguya on the floor, "I don't know, you save someone's life…"

"Such an action is expected of my servant," Kaguya remarked as she stood up, brushing her rear. "I will remember this. Still… For a brief moment you were almost worthy of being in my employ. I am glad you are still capable to perform your tasks to the usual degree of ineptitude. Had you gotten killed it would have taken two hours to train up Toph to replace you." She looked away from him.

"I… I can't tell if you're genuinely glad I'm okay or you're just insulting me." Naruto chuckled.

"Must I be blunt in all my statements about you?" Kaguya sighed. "For one who claims to be a prince, you seem to lack the basic understanding of noble speech."

"I'm choosing to take it as you saying 'Oh Naruto I am so glad you are alive. I can't live without you.'" Naruto spoke in a high pitched voice.

"I sound nothing like that." Kaguya scowled at him.

"You didn't say that wasn't what you meant." Naruto smirked.

Before Kaguya could issue her rebuttal, a clone flew past their heads and dispelled.

"Er… Maybe we should continue this conversation later," Naruto frowned. "That was my last clone. It looks like any attacks that land on it are just ignored somehow. The lighting was poor so I don't know what happened, only that my clones landed hits, but didn't seem to deal any damage."

"So that whole exercise was little more than a waste of chakra," Kaguya remarked dryly as she turned to look at the barn. "I shouldn't be surprised by now. You truly are a wasteful servant."

"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto sighed. "The good news is, it's definitely a Liminal from what I did see. Taking into account what Chichi told us earlier, I'm pretty sure that it's just suffering from the effects full moon, so after tonight everything will probably be fine."

"This Liminal has disrespected and assaulted me," Kaguya intoned darkly. "They will be made to suffer the consequences of their actions!"

"Look out!" Naruto pushed Kaguya to the floor as another tentacle narrowly missed them.

"S-servant?" Kaguya started at Naruto. "Pushing me to the ground like this? Who do you think you are?"

"Just a kick ass ninja saving your ungrateful life," Naruto rolled with Kaguya as another tentacle hit where they had been lying down, before tossing Kaguya into the arms of a freshly summoned clone who leapt backwards out of the tentacles range, despite her furious yells at being manhandled.

"Tch," Naruto cracked his knuckles as he stared at the barn doors where several tentacles were oozing out. He made a dozen more clones, sending a few of them to hold them back, the others on standby for if the first wave was destroyed.

' _ **Got a plan?'**_

' _I'm working on it,'_ Naruto frowned. _'I can't help but wonder if this is just an innocent Liminal who's been overpowered by the power of the full moon.'_

' _ **Does it really matter?'**_

' _Of course it does! It could be like someone stuck in a genjutsu, not in control of their own actions.'_

' _ **You're such a bleeding heart.'**_ Kurama chuckled. _**'Well, I guess you wouldn't have made it this far if you weren't. Still the fact is, if your memories from your clones are correct, this thing isn't entirely solid which means you can't just punch some sense into it.'**_

' _Shame… That usually works pretty well.'_

' _ **Shame you never got to punch that Uchiha until he came to his senses.'**_ Naruto could practically feel the grin on Kurama's face. _**'I would have paid good money to see that brat get put in his place.'**_

' _Not a big Uchiha fan are you?'_

' _ **I wonder why…'**_ Kurama rolled his eyes as he settled down to rest.

"Handler-san!" A slightly-less slimy Chichi ran towards him. "Ah, thank goodness you're alright."

"See, that's how you show relief," Naruto called over his shoulder at a sullen Kaguya.

"Hehehe," Toph leapt off of the Arachne's back, resting her bokken on her shoulder. "I've just had an amazing bath and now I'm all pumped up! Ya got nowhere to hide now!" The Toad-Type cackled victoriously.

"I've never seen anything like this…" Chichi frowned. "I even had a quick look in my reference books before we came to assist you." She handed a book over to Naruto. "This is a small guidebook on some of the more exotic Liminal types. Unfortunately the type I suspect it maybe is… well…"

Naruto opened the book to the page with a bookmark in it.

"Slimes," He read aloud, "Suspected to have gelatinous bodies. Attitudes vary with color…. That's it?!"

"Until today, I figured they were just a myth, a made-up Liminal." Chichi admitted. "They're not officially part of the program. From the few rumors I've heard, they don't really have a society. Most Slimes are solitary creatures and keep to themselves."

"I see," Naruto sighed as he handed Chichi the book back. "So… What do we do?"

"Kick its ass!" Toph declared as she charged at the tentacles, her sword getting stuck halfway through one of them. "H-hey! Gimme my bokken…" The tentacles suddenly jerked violently in the air, dislodging Toph and the bokken who were sent flying backwards and landing ungracefully in the middle of the field, a few clones being knocked back with her and dispelling in puffs of smoke. "Damn it!" Toph yelled. "My ankle!"

"We should get in touch with Agent Smith," Chichi tried to be the voice of reason. "We have the phone charger, do you still have the phone?"

"Er… yeah." Naruto frowned as the clone that had been helping Kaguya lifted up the limping Toph. "Maybe it can be reasoned with?" He glanced at the second group of clones that were valiantly trying to fight the tentacles back.

"Ya wanna try talking to it?!" Toph blinked.

"Well have any of us tried that?" Naruto pointed out.

"I… well…" Chichi bowed her head. "I apologize. It should have been the first solution that I tried rather than setting the trap. The Exchange Program laws are very strict when it comes to harming other Liminals. Violence should have been my last resort. I shall report my infringement of the laws to Agent Smith."

"There's no need to do that," Naruto chuckled.

"If I who preach the laws do not follow them, how can I expect anyone else to?" Chichi clenched her fists angrily. "I have let myself down and worse… I have let you down Handler-san."

"Chichi?" Naruto blinked.

"You promised to help me with my dream," Chichi smiled at him. "But it appears that I'm not capable of being an officer if I forget the laws so easily."

"Oh get over yourself," Toph snorted. "Ya feel bad don't ya?"

"Er… Yes." Chichi frowned.

"Well then, learn from this then." The Toad-Type frowned. "Ya think I became such a badass without a few slips along the way? When ya fall ya just need to get straight back up before they can administer the couper grays!"

"Coup-de-grace," Chichi corrected.

"Whatever," Toph shrugged. "I ain't good with my Latin."

"French," Chichi responded without thinking.

"Whatever!" Toph replied hotly.

"Are you going to learn anything from this experience?" Kaguya asked the shortest Liminal.

"Eh?" Toph frowned. "What lesson am I supposed to get from all of this?"

"That charging in isn't always the correct answer?" Chichi suggested.

"That sometimes you should wait for backup before doing something rash?" Naruto suggested.

' _ **That's rich coming from you.'**_ Kurama roared with laughter.

"Nah," Toph smirked. "Everything I did was completely to my plan."

"Including spraining your ankle?" Chichi asked.

"Had to give 'em a chance," Toph mumbled. "Wouldn't be fair otherwise."

"Amazing," Kaguya remarked dryly. "And I thought my useless servant was delusional."

"Speaking of which," Naruto glanced at his clones. "I guess it's time to try talking."

"Do not fear Handler-san," Chichi nodded, "While it would be usually be a violation to attack a Liminal, given the circumstances I believe it could be justified as self-defence. I will be ready to leap to your aid in a moment's notice."

"You'll have to be quick," Toph smirked. "'Cause otherwise I'm gonna get myself a tentacle trophy!"

"Really," Kaguya poked her ankle with her toe, causing the delinquent amphibian to fall over with a cry of pain.

While Chichi started to inform Kaguya of the laws she had broken, Naruto slowly advanced on the barn, ordering the clones to retreat.

"Er… Hello?" Naruto coughed awkwardly. "I was wondering if we could talk?"

The tentacles withdrew into the barn and the doors opened wide, before a large blob oozed out. Bathed in the moonlight, towering over Naruto, it was an amorphous pinkish reddish creature, with dark black slime looking almost like hair at the top of the form. Large hands protruded from the oozing mass reaching towards him slowly. In the translucent ooze, what looked like some clothes were floating around, although they didn't look like the clothes anyone in the house wore.

"So," Naruto cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you could… er… stop attacking us?"

" **NECTAR!** " The creature moaned as it brought its hands together to try and trap Naruto, who easily leapt over the attack.

"Can't we talk this out?" Naruto tried again while dodging the hands and tentacles that tried to grab him, the Slime seemingly ignoring his words.

" **NECTAR, NECTAR, NECTAR,** _ **NECTAR!**_ " The creature shouts got more and more intense with each missed strike, until it ended up hitting Naruto across the face with one of its tentacles and knocked him back.

"Fine then," He rubbed his cheek before he summoned a clone that helped him form a Rasengan. "Don't say I didn't try to reason with you!" He charged the blob, forcing the spiralling sphere of chakra through the oozing body and watched as the ooze started to suck him in, the Rasengan harmlessly mixing the slime inside. _ **'**_ _Ah… Mistakes have been made.'_ He started to try and tug himself free with limited success.

"Handler-san!" Chichi raced over and pulled on the back of his shirt, only to be struck away by a black tentacle that wrapped around Naruto's neck and lifted him up to the creature's face. It paused before vibrating slightly and chanting ' **NECTAR**!' in what sounded like a happy tone of voice, as far as Naruto could tell.

"Boss! Quick ya need to kick it in its weak spot!"

"Which is?" Naruto yelled as he struggled.

"Ain't ya ever played a computer game?" Toph pointed to the black tentacle coming directly from the top of the creature's head, and the only one that had a yellow spot on the end. "That bit has to be its weak spot!"

"Damn it," Naruto reached into his trouser pockets and tossed a handful of shuriken at the creature, watching as they simply merged into the slime. "Wait a second... I had an explosive tag! ...Crap! I left it in my jacket!" Naruto struggled as the creature started to push him inside of itself. "Ack… This feels weird!" Naruto struggled as he was enveloped by the reddish-pink slime until he was suspended in the middle of the creature and it lurched into the forest.

"H-Handler-san!" Chichi struggled to her feet, clutching her ribs. "Damn it…" She tried to chase after creature but was unable to move quickly without flinching due to the pain.

"Don't worry we'll…" Whatever the clones were about to say to the girls was cut off as they all dispelled.

"That… That can't be good right?" Toph limped over to Chichi.

"We have to help Handler-san…"

"He wouldn't want you getting yourselves killed." Kaguya remarked bluntly. "In your current condition, neither of you can fight."

"So ya saying we should just leave the boss to die?" Toph snorted. "That doesn't sit right with me. Sure he may only be my boss till I finally kick his ass, but if someone else kills him how the hell am I gonna take my place as the boss of this farm?"

"If something should happen to our handler, we will all either be deported or assigned new handlers." Chichi frowned. "And I fear that Naruto-san is our last chance of staying in the program. I was already denied entry several times before this and you…" Chichi glanced at Toph, "You're on your last warning as is. As for Kaguya-san…"

"Yeah, she'd be screwed if she didn't have the boss looking after her." The Toad-Type choked back a laugh as she limped into the forest, followed by Chichi.

"...I suppose I have to go and make sure they don't get themselves killed," Kaguya thought aloud before hurrying after the injured Liminals.

* * *

 _With Naruto_

There were precious few times in his life that Naruto had felt truly content. When Iruka had given him his forehead protector and when he had been welcomed back to Konoha after defeating Pain being the two most prominent memories. There was also the thing with the priestess who asked him to help her out with something or other he hadn't quite understood, but it didn't seem that important right now. In fact nothing did. All the mattered was the soothing chanting of the Slime and the strange scent that filled his mind.

He was quite happy and blissful. Warmth was surging through his entire body and an intoxicating fragrance was clouding his thoughts. He just wanted to stay like this forever. To stay in this warm, intoxicating embrace. He closed his eyes and allowed the Slime to draw him deeper into the depths of its body.

' _ **NARUTO! WAKE UP YOU MORON!'**_

' _Five more minutes…'_ Naruto's sluggish thoughts failed to register the concern in Kurama's voice.

The creature paused as it entered a small cave. Through his hazy thoughts, Naruto noted the small stove and some bedding as well as some pictures lining the walls of the cave.

' _What a nice house.'_ He thought to himself as he was forced out the slime and onto a small bed. "It's so cold," He mumbled, only to smile as the Slime crawled over him, it's hungry green eyes looking at him as the tentacles started to peel away his clothes.

' _ **Er… Naruto? Now's the time to start defending yourself!'**_

' _From what you silly fox.'_ Naruto giggled slightly as the Slime leaned forward, placing the discolored tentacle against his head while continuing to undress him.

" **Nectar~** " It cooed as Naruto laid in only his boxers, linking thier minds with its psuedopod.

Suddenly the creature found itself in an unfamiliar location. It appeared to be in a dark and endless empty space of some sorts with a thin layer of water over a stone floor, but the primal thoughts of the creature were focused mainly on the sudden disappearance of the source of nectar it had been hunting.

" **Well… I wasn't expecting a guest today."**

The slime turned to face the source of the voice and saw Kurama advancing on it with a feral smile.

" **See I don't know what your plan is, but to be honest I don't really care. You're a threat to the kid so that makes you a threat to me. You thought you were the biggest, baddest monster around?"** Kurama lips peeled back to reveal his teeth. **"You're not even close brat."**

The killing intent was too much for the creature, who staggered backwards trying to escape his oppressive presence.

" **You don't belong here. GET OUT!"** The Kyuubi roared at the creature who started to shiver before collapsing into a puddle as it passed out with fear. " **Ha! Still got it."** Kurama watched as the slime faded from the mindscape. " **You're welcome kid."** Kurama thought to himself as he tried to get comfortable.

* * *

 _Back in Reality_

Naruto blinked several times as he came back to his senses. "What… Who?" He paused as he noticed the unconscious girl laid on top of him. "Er… What?!"

He scrambled away from her, realizing his half-naked appearance and quickly got himself dressed. "That could have lead to a misunderstanding if the other's had seen that. Thanks Kurama."

' _ **It's what I do.'**_

"Heh," Naruto shook his head before noticing a small portable lamp nearby and turning it on to see the cave in better detail. It was quite a cozy little place and looked like it was well lived in. Walking over to one of the pictures he had noticed earlier, he saw what looked like a guy in a biker jacket posing for a picture with a pink woman. Putting the picture back, Naruto turned to look at the mysterious girl who had been on top of him. She was short, maybe slightly shorter than Toph, and was wearing a black jacket, similar to that of the man in the picture, only the jacket was opened to show a well worn white shirt with a skull and crossbones design and a silver necklace around her neck. She was wearing a jean skirt that looked like it had been stitched together from a pair of old jeans that fell down to her knees and heavy black combat boots, the clothes Naruto recalled seeing suspended in the Slime that had attacked him. Her body appeared to be made of slime, but it was a lighter shade, being closer to pink than the one that had attacked them and didn't seem to be dripping like the it had been before. She also had black "hair" slime with yellow at the end of the pseudopod tentacle on top.

' _Wait a minute…'_ Naruto blinked as the girl mumbled something about a prince in her sleep before smiling and hugging a small blanket to her chest.

"Wait a second!" Naruto tried to pry the blanket from the girl who held onto it as if her life depended on it. "That's my bed sheet that went missing." He scowled as he made out the badly smudged message 'GET OUT, LEAVE NOW OR ELSE!" drawn onto the sheet. It almost looked as if it had been written in blood.

"Er…" Naruto looked around uncertainly. While he suspected that this girl that was so peacefully sleeping right now was in fact the slime that attacked him, he was also sure that he couldn't leave her sleeping and defenseless in this cave.

' _ **Seriously, how has your hero complex not gotten us killed yet?'**_ Kurama groaned.

' _Because I have the strongest Bijuu watching my back,"_ Naruto thought as he picked up the unconscious girl, summoning a few clones to keep watch of her cave home just in case.

' _ **Damn straight you do.'**_ Kurama preened as Naruto made his way back to the farm, one question plaguing his mind.

' _Now how on Earth do I stop Kaguya and Toph from trying to kill her?'_

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the sixth chapter!**

 **Who's this mysterious Slime? Why did she do all that? What does she have to do with what happened 30 years ago? How did she get so small? Why aren't her clothes falling through her body?! You'll just have to wait and see! This characters a bit more involved in the next several chapters, so I can't give you my usual spiel about new characters. I'm not completely cruel though, so I'll give you her name. It's Saboten.**

 **Since I don't have much else to say besides that, there are a few things I've wanted to say that I keep forgetting to. First, the world of this story has pretty much all the same media we do, except the Naruto series and Daily Life with a Monster Girl series for obvious reasons. This has a direct effect on another famous Shounen Jump series that I'm sure some of you who know your trivia will get. There's a hint about it way back in chapter one. I mention this because it will have a small, but noticeable effect on something later in the story.**

 **The other thing I keep forgetting to mention is that, as you may have noticed from iit only appearing in small amounts, I'm not a huge fan of fanservice. I don't mind so much if it's only here or there and the creators try to use it for something like a laugh or to have an actual effect on the relationships of a character, something I try to do with this story. But when it's just fanservice for the sake of fanservice, I dislike it. You may ask why I like Daily Life With a Monster Girl if I don't like fanservice, but it's because of the interesting characters, the creative world they live in, and the humor. That's why it bothers me when people treat this series like the fanservice is the only reason anyone likes it. Sorry for the little rant, but I just wanted to get that off my chest.**

 **I'm not doing the expected questions this time, just expect everything to be answered eventually in the story.**

 **See ya next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys and gals! Here's chapter 7, sorry for the wait. Truth is, Drake actually finished typing this up back in late November, but I was a lazy ass procrastinator and didn't actually start editing it until last night.**

 **Anyhoo, I haven't been completely idle in this time. Aside from coming up with character and plot ideas (of which Pokemon Sun and Moon helped inspire a plethora of), there are also four new commissions over on my deviantart and 3 more on the way. I keep a list of both finished and upcoming commissions on my profile, so you can use that if you want to know what's coming up. After 2 of those 3 are done, I'm actually cutting back on commissioning stuff until March, as I'm penny pinching to save up for the Nintendo Switch and a copy of Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild (the third commission is postponed until after that as well; the artist is a friend and a huge LoZ fan, so they understood).**

 **I'll be doing the expected questions again this time. Last time I was really tired after doing the editing as it was late and I didn't want to wait until the morning to post the chapter, so I forewent it. Seems kind of silly after this long wait, huh? Anyhoo, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"So, we all agree on goin' with my plan?" Toph smirked as she looked at the other girls.

Kaguya, Chichi and the aforementioned Toad-Type were standing behind some large bushes outside the cave where Chichi had tracked the Slime, though Chichi herself had to stretch her legs outward somewhat to keep her body low enough to the ground so as to not be seen. While Toph originally had tried to charge in and challenge the Slime to a battle to the death, she had only gotten two steps before she found herself on the ground holding her wounded ankle and quietly cursing at the intense pain. Having realized just how much of a hindrance it would be, she decided even she wasn't proud enough to fight a stronger foe by herself in such a state, not that she had given up on fighting just yet. She had been upset when Chichi had point blank rejected her idea of using the Arache as a sort of mount to ride into battle.

"Do we not have a better plan?" Kaguya covered her nose with her arm, scrunching her face in distaste. Still somewhat slimy, the former goddess was tired, aching and in desperate need of a long, hot bath followed by an even longer sleep. While she was of the opinion that only wastrels and criminals slept past the morning, she was willing to make an exception just this once.

"No, unfortunately," An equally exhausted Chichi scowled as she looked at the pile of rotten fruit and plant material they had scavenged from the forest. "My ribs hurt too much for me to make any big movements and Toph is too injured to fight. While I doubt it'll work, at least it might satisfy the creature's hunger long enough for us to grab Handler-san and escape to call for help."

"Maybe I'm too injured to win..." Toph snorted as she peered over the top of the bushes at the cave's entrance for signs of the Slime. "...but I'd have to be dead to be too injured to fight!"

"And you…" Chichi bit her lip, trying to find a polite way to point out Kaguya's lack of combat ability.

"I get it," The rabbit goddess lowered her arm and wrinkled her nose as she looked at the rotting pile before her. "Still… Would it have not made sense for one of us to remain behind and call Sunglasses?"

"That… That probably would've been a better idea," Chichi rubbed her upper arm nervously, "I was so caught up in the moment that I only thought about chasing after the Slime to save Handler-san. There's no time to go back and do it now."

"Hmph, I guess we're stuck with this, then. So we just have to hope that the Slime is either repulsed by the smell of these… offerings," Kaguya gestured to the rotting pile, "Or tries to eat them and becomes ill enough that it can't retaliate?"

"Unfortunately that's the plan...unless you have something better?" Chichi looked at Kaguya pleadingly.

"I am afraid that given my fatigue and injury, I am not able to come up with a plan that has any higher chance of success," The rabbit goddess sighed and closed her eyes for moment before opening them and looking at Chichi. "This… I hesitate to call it a plan, is better than doing nothing I suppose. Even if it is doomed to fail."

"How do ya know?" Toph cut in defensively. "The fat ass copper admitted herself she doesn't know much about these Slimes."

"I imagine that if it was willing to get close to you, the smell of rotting fruit will not be enough to make it sick," Kaguya deadpanned.

"Hey!" Toph crossed her arms. "I just had a bath, y'know?"

"I shall inform my servant to clean it thoroughly before I get in." The former rabbit goddess rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Heaven forbid I start to smell as bad as you."

While Toph sniffed her armpits and visibly recoiled, Chichi glanced towards the ragged looking Kaguya before moving a bit closer to her.

"He'll be fine," She assured the goddess who merely gave her a questioning look. "Handler-san is a tough person."

"Is there a reason you feel the need to try and reassure me?"

Chichi tensed a little at her stare. "Well… You were looking kind of down."

"I am several hours overdue for sleep." Kaguya deadpanned before looking away. "I do not worry about his safety. There is no need. He will survive."

"You have faith in Handler-san don't you?" Chichi chuckled softly as she relaxed her shoulders.

"He is my servant after all." The mother of all chakra frowned, placing her hand on her hip and tilting her chin up. "If this were enough to kill him I wouldn't even trust him to be a footstool."

 _'Besides, I'd feel personally insulted if he survived our battle and this was all it took to kill him.'_ Kaguya continued internally as she sent a brief glare towards the nearby cave.

"If he could beat me, this Slime ain't got a chance!" Toph nodded. "That Slime's not got nothin' on me unless it cheats!"

"Oh hey! I thought I heard someone out here." The girls all jumped slightly at the voice as an unharmed Naruto came out of the cave carrying an unconscious girl in his arms. In contrast to the tired and injured girls outside the cave, he was relatively fresh-faced and cheerful.

"Handler-san!" Chichi let out a sigh, hand on her chest in both relief and to try and calm it from the brief scare. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Tch," Toph snorted, somewhat disappointed that they didn't get to try out her plan. "Took ya long enough."

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto chuckled. "I hope I didn't worry you too much."

"You presume a lot," Kaguya remarked. "Of all the things there are for me to worry about because of you and your actions, you are not among them."

"Then why'd ya sigh with relief when ya saw him?" Toph challenged with a smirk.

"It was one of annoyance. It appears my servant has found himself a playmate whilst we were busy trying to save his idle soul." Kaguya glanced around. "I assume you dealt with our assailant?"

"I think so," Naruto looked at the girl in his arms. She was still fast asleep and hugging his blanket and nuzzling against him as he walked, occasionally mumbling something about a scary demon and a brave prince. Naruto thought she looked peaceful with her soft smile. He couldn't help but grin a little.

"Wait a second?!" Toph snorted and pointed dramatically. "Ya not trying to tell me that this, _this,_ is the thing that was causing us trouble!"

"W-well… She's the same color," Naruto shrugged, being careful to try to not disturb the girl in his arms. "And the clothes she's wearing now were inside the giant Slime's body."

"I guess if she's made of slime, it's possible she rearranged her body…" Chichi admitted. "But she appears far more… viscous than the creature."

"Viscous?" Naruto and Toph echoed.

"She is saying this girl is far more solid than the creature that attacked us," Kaguya frowned. "If you remember our assailant left a trail."

"Well... " Naruto glanced down at the trail leading into the cave. "There's no way out except the main entrance and the slime trail ended at her body."

"But… I can't have lost to _her._ " Toph blinked. "I mean look at her! She's all…" The toad Liminal flailed her arms, "Cutesy punk and stuff!"

"Cutesy punk?" Chichi chuckled as she looked at the happily sleeping girl. It was true she was wearing a biker jacket that was unbuttoned, revealing a well worn white shirt with a skull and crossbones design with what looked like a denim skirt, but as Chichi got closer, her excellent night vision allowed her to see stitching that suggested the clothing had been made from a pair of jeans. While most of her visible body was pink, the hair-like slime on her head was black and had a single tentacle sticking up out of the center that was tipped with yellow. If not for the general cute aura the girl was emitting, the Arachne would have probably instantly labelled her as a troublemaker as she did with Toph. "I can see where you're coming from."

"If she is defeated," Kaguya looked at the girl critically. "Then we are done here. Let us return home."

"Right, right," Naruto chuckled as Chichi lead the way back home, not that the slime trail was that hard to follow.

"Hey boss," Toph smirked as she limped beside Naruto. "Wanna know somethin' interesting?"

"Go on," Naruto glanced at the Toad-Type who looked over her shoulder at Kaguya, who was at the back of the line, deep in thought.

"The ol' bunny hag was so sure you were gonna make it. Kind of sweet that she has so much faith in ya, huh?"

"Oh?" Naruto turned his head and grinned at Kaguya. "Thanks for having faith in me."

"Such an opponent should have posed minimal risk to you," Kaguya pointed out. "You survived me after all. Even if it was with some help from those other four."

"I guess so," He nodded in agreement.

"Although you took far too long," Kaguya continued. "As my servant, you should perform your duties far more efficiently. However, I will overlook it just this once."

"Gee, thanks for your concern." Naruto rolled his eyes while Toph snickered.

"I am glad you are okay." Kaguya had a small smile on her face.

"Eh?" Toph and Naruto shot Kaguya a surprised look.

"It would have taken far too long to train these imbeciles to be passable servants."

"Oh… right…" Naruto sighed, missing Kaguya's soft smile as they made their way back to the farm.

* * *

 _Back at the Farm_

"Well… What do we do with her then?" Kaguya asked as she reclined on some towels on the couch, currently waiting for the Kage Bunshin Naruto had summoned to clean the bathroom for her use. The gang were gathered in the main living room with the unconscious Slime girl sleeping in a chair hugging the blanket. Naruto's initial attempts to reclaim it had met with little success and he had given up on retrieving it.

"Whatever we do, we have to tell Agent Smith about all this," Chichi remarked as she attached the phone to the charger and moved to set it on a small table, having to brush aside some food wrappers Toph had left there to clear a space for it. She made a mental note to lecture Toph on her civic duties after a nice long sleep.

"I say we give her a beating." Toph cracked her knuckles menacingly. "Ya gotta show these people ya mean business."

"While I agree we must do something with her, it would go against everything I stand for to attack a harmless, sleeping girl," Chichi frowned. "We still don't know for sure that she's the one who attacked us, after all."

"All the evidence points to her," Kaguya frowned.

"The only evidence we have is the pink slime trail." Chichi countered. "It's possible that there's more than one. For all we know, they could be herd creatures."

"Well yes," Kaguya scowled. "But if that were the case, we would have seen multiple trails would we not?"

"For all we know this could be the creature's child, and it was attacking us because we invaded its territory." Chichi rationalized. "What with it being the full moon, it makes sense that the creature would be much more aggressive in defending its territory. The monster is just trying to scare away those who trespassing on its home. Imagine how angry it'll be if we've taken its child?"

"It shouldn't go about trying to steal _my_ territory then, should it?" Toph argued defensively.

"I think the vulgar spider might be onto something there," Kaguya scowled softly, "After all, the delinquent toad is far more territorial at the moment. Was there truly no one else but you and this girl in that cave?"

"I didn't see anyone in there," Naruto shook his head. "But I could send a clone to check if you would like, maybe deliver a message that the girl is perfectly healthy and we just want to talk?"

"I'll tell ya how ya send a message." Toph hobbled over to the sleeping girl. "Cut off her finger and send it back to them!"

"I am not even starting to list the rules that would break," Chichi scowled. "We're not some sort of mafia gang!"

"Yet," Toph grinned evilly. "But one day… Maybe…"

"Wait a minute," Naruto's voice cut through Toph's dreams of infamy, "If she is part of the exchange program then she should have a handler right?"

"W-well yes she should." Chichi nodded. " _If_ she's a part of the exchange. Did the cave look like a temporary home or was it more permanent looking?"

"It looked well lived in from what I could see," Naruto nodded with a soft frown. "But she could have run away from her handler or something."

"The Exchange program is only two years old," The Long Leg-type glanced at the sleeping girl. "If she's responsible for the ghost stories, then it would be fair to assume she's been living around here since long before the program started and the chances of her having a handler are slim at best."

"Wait a minute," Kaguya stepped over to the girl and plucked a small bit of material from her jacket pocket. "This…"

"Do you recognize it?" Naruto walked over to it. "Hey, it kind of looks like the material your kimono is made of."

"There's your evidence," Kaguya waved it at Chichi. "This is clearly the being that attacked us!"

"Maybe her parent gave it to her as a present" Chichi countered.

"A small scrap of a torn Kimono?" Kaguya frowned. "That seems unlikely."

"W-well, we know little about how Slimes function as a society. I'm only stating possibilities." Chichi frowned, "Handler-san? This is your decision to make. No matter what you decide I shall abide by your decision, as article..."

"Servant, our course of action is clear. She must be punished," The former rabbit goddess interrupted Chichi who merely sighed in a resigned fashion. Kaguya spared her a glance as she tucked the spare bit of fabric into her sleeve before returning her gaze to Naruto. "Assaulting a noble is a most heinous crime. It is treason and the punishment for such a horrid act is execution."

"Wait a second," The long-legged Arachne stepped back. "You can't just kill her!"

"You have a point," Kaguya paused. "A being of slime probably would survive most traditional methods of execution."

"Not that's not what I meant," the long-legged Arachne sighed in frustration. "Even if she isn't a part of the program, she still has rights. We have to report this to Agent Smith." Chichi turned to Naruto, "It's the correct decision to make Handler-san."

"Any thoughts Toph," Naruto turned to the Toad-Type who was sat nursing her ankle.

"I never thought I'd say this but…" Toph jerked her head at Kaguya, "I gotta agree with the bunny hag. We gotta take care of this ourselves!"

"A surprisingly wise decision," Kaguya nodded her head at the Toad-Type.

"So what you're saying is anyone who attacks a noble has to be killed?" Naruto asked.

"Of course." Kaguya remarked confidently.

"Well, I guess that means we're screwed then," Naruto remarked calmly.

"Pardon?" Kaguya glanced at an equally confused Chichi and Toph.

"Well, you and I fought before we came here right? And unlike the Slime girl here, we were trying to kill (or seal) each other. My crime is worse than her's, so I must need to get executed as well."

"Well… I guess but…" Kaguya started to explain.

"And you have admitted I have noble blood, so that means _you_ attacked a noble as well."

"Yes but that was different!"

"And then Toph attacked me, so she needs to be killed…"

"Okay, I get it!" Kaguya turned her back on Naruto. "Your inability to make the hard choices will be your downfall."

"I don't think someone who has benefited from my mercy should comment on it," Naruto dryly responded.

"I…" Kaguya opened and closed her mouth, failing to think of a comeback. "You… You disrespectful servant," She grumbled in defeat, leaning against the wall.

"Wow, boss… You silenced her." Toph nodded in appreciation. "Fine, if ya don't wanna kill her I'll go with your plan. What is it by the way?"

"Er…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sort of a "make things up as I go along" kind of guy."

"So ya haven't got a plan," Toph grinned. "That's the best way! If ya don't make plans they can never go wrong!"

"I just had a horrible vision of how this household would be without me," Chichi shivered. "I believe the first thing we should do is call Agent Smith and keep our… guest contained. She is clearly dangerous if she's the one who attacked us, which I admitted seems to be the case."

"You can't just blame her," Naruto pointed out. "Didn't you just say that it might be the fault of the full moon?"

"Full moon or not, if she did it she has to be held responsible for her actions. If she is too dangerous to be allowed into modern civilization, then she must be either deported or detained."

"Isn't the whole point of my arrangement with Ms Smith the fact that I can host Liminals that would be too dangerous for normal hosts?" Naruto pointed out. "And we're pretty far away from any other humans. Besides, where are they going to deport her if she's from around here?"

"Well..that is true, but it doesn't change the fact she's too dangerous even for you and should at the very least be detained." The Arachne declared before calming down a bit. "However as our handler, it's your decision to make."

"I think we owe her a chance to explain herself at the very least," Naruto suggested.

"And when she tries to kill us all? What then?" Kaguya remarked.

"Then I guess you can say I told you so." Naruto responded nonchalantly.

"One of these days you will learn that sparing an enemy is a mistake," Kaguya shook her head condescendingly.

"If he didn't learn it by sparing you I doubt he ever will," Toph snorted.

"Back to the matter at hand," Chichi cleared her throat so the others would look at her, "Even if we… alter some of the details we still have to report her presence."

"I guess," Naruto sighed as he walked over to the phone Chichi had put on the charger, "She did give us a number to ring in emergencies, so I guess we could give it a try."

"Be careful," Chichi warned. "With the battery so low, if it's unplugged it'll probably run out of power almost immediately."

"Don't worry," Naruto picked the phone up and stared at the blank screen. "So I turn it on using this button? Then I enter the number…" He looked around the table that, despite Chichi's best efforts, still had several food wrappers courtesy of Toph on it. "Right…" He pressed dial. "Er… There is a strange beeping."

"That's supposed to happen," Chichi reassured him as he waited for the person on the other end to answer.

* * *

 _Manako's Apartment._

"Wha?" Manako blinked as a sudden ringing shook her from her slumber causing her to jump out of bed in a blind panic, getting tangled up in her bedsheets and crashing to the floor ungracefully. "Ow…" She winced as she stood up, using her arms to feel around to find her phone in the dark, stubbing her little toe on a desk and biting back a cry of pain, so she didn't wake anyone else up.

After much flailing around she managed to find her phone and held it up to her eye. _'An Unknown number at this time? I shouldn't answer it… But what if it's an emergency and someone needs me?! I have to answer it! But what if it is a haunted phone call that will take my life like Zombina told me about in that film?!'_

The phone continued to ring as the uncertain Manako stared at it.

' _I… I have to answer it! I mean who would ring at this time if it wasn't an emergency? I mean I'm pretty sure that film was all made up… Like humans used to think Liminals were… Er…'_ After what seemed like an eternity. The phone finally stopped ringing. _'Oh no… What if they were in danger and had died because I didn't answer the phone… I killed them!'_ Manako started to panic. _'W-what if this gets brought up by Smith-san at my annual review and I have to go back home?!'_

The phone started to ring again, and she instinctively answered it before freezing in horror at the sound of someone breathing. After a few minutes of this, the breathing stopped as if the person on the other end finally realized someone had answered the call.

"Oh did someone answer? Hello? Is this Ms Smith?" The familiar voice of the blonde haired human sounded through the phone.

"Uzumaki-san?!" Manako panicked. _'Oh no! He is calling me to complain about the time I helped Zombina-chan and Doppel-chan to prank him! He must be furious! All I have to do is say sorry... But what if he gets mad at me?!'_ "H-Hello? Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Do I know you? You're not Ms Smith, but you do sound kind of familiar."

"Ah…Er… I was told you might ring this number. My name is Asada Shino." She spoke in a deeper, voice, _'Oh great cover Manako! He'll see through that straight away.'_

"Oh sorry, you reminded me of someone else," Naruto sounded apologetic, "Now that I think about it, their voice was much higher pitched. Must be an effect of this telephone or something." _'Their voice seems a little weird, but then again maybe it's a Shino thing. The Shino from back home was a little weird.'_ He thought to himself with a soft smile.

"I get that a lot," Manako let out a sigh of relief, _'I can't believe he didn't realize that was a fake name! I guess he doesn't watch a lot of anime?'_ "Er… How can I help you?"

"Well, you see Ms Smith gave me this number to ring in the case of emergencies…"

"Oh no!" Manako spoke in her normal voice before remembering her act, "I mean… That sounds bad."

"Oh it isn't that bad," Naruto's voice sounded calm. "We just had a bit of an incident with a new Liminal."

"New Liminal?" Manako frowned. _'I didn't think any of the new arrivals had been approved by Smith-san just yet.'_

"Yeah, some sort of Slime girl?"

"Slime girl?" The Monoeye's lone eye radiated her confusion, _'I don't recall seeing any paperwork for a Liminal like that. I thought Slimes were just a fairy tale. None have joined the program as far as I'm aware.'_

"Nothing major," Naruto assured her, "Just a few of us got a bit roughed up in the process. Just ringing to let you know about it."

"Do you need some help?" Manako asked.

"Well I figured Ms Smith would be showing up for breakfast anyway," Naruto remarked dryly, "So she might appreciate the heads up."

"T-thank you," Manako cleared her throat. "Do you want me to pass the message on for you?"

"I was going to get in touch with her myself. I thought this was her number; I guess she just offloaded the emergency call to someone else." Naruto chuckled. "She also gave me this email address… Let me see." There was the sound of rustling on the other end of the line. "Ah, here we are. It's OneSheyeGirl-0- . Is this hers?"

"No… It's mine…" Manako shoulders drooped. _'Seriously Smith-san! Why must you try and palm off all of your jobs to MON? We are supposed to be a task force for dealing with rowdy Liminals not your personal minions…'_

"Really? The address has 'girl' in it, so I was expecting a girl to answer." Naruto remarked.

"Er… You see…" Manako started to panic. "W-well my sister and I… We share the same email?" _'There is no way he's going to believe that!'_

"Oh that's neat," Naruto sounded slightly sad. "You and your sister must be pretty close."

"Y-yeah," Manako paused. "Is everything okay Uzumaki-san?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. I… I never really got to spend time my family. They died when I was born."

"That… I'm sorry."

"I know they loved me though so it isn't all bad," Naruto. "But I always wanted a younger sibling you know?"

"Really?" Manako smiled, "I'm sure you would make a great big brother."

"You think?" Naruto sounded embarrassed. "I don't know about that but… Hey… What are you doing?! Wait stop! STOP!" The phone line suddenly went dead.

"Uzumaki-san?!" Manako froze before trying to call him back.

"I'm sorry, but the number you are trying to connect to has not set up it's voicemail yet. Please try again later." An automated voice told her.

"Oh no…" Manako bit her lip. _'What if the strange Liminal has attacked them! I should call Smith-san and the others!'_ She paused as she saw the time on her phone. _'I… I can't call them this early in the morning. They're probably be asleep and won't wake up… But what if Uzumaki-san is in danger…'_ The Monoeye froze. _'I have to make sure they wake up!'_ She quickly ran out of her room, skidding as she ran down the hallway of the apartment complex. _'Uzumaki-san's life could be in danger!'_

She came to a halt outside a large door with a pink love heart in the middle of the door with the name 'Tionishia' written in a cursive script in it. She knocked on the door loudly but got no response. _'Come on Tio-chan! Please open up!'_ She bit her lip nervously before remembering that she had a spare key in her room for emergencies and rushed back to get it. A few moments later, she opened the door, pausing as she turned on the light.

Tio's room was pretty much how Manako remembered it. Bright pink everything with plenty of stuffed animals lying around. Tio herself was fast asleep on a large bed with a large plush bunny squeezed between her ridiculous chest. While Manako was dressed in pyjamas that covered everything; Tio favored what was essentially an impossibly large bra with matching pink underwear. For a second Manako looked at her comparatively petite frame before shaking off the slight depression and trying to wake the Ogress.

"Tio-chan!" Manako shook her gently only for her to roll over, releasing the giant plush animal, the bed creaking as its inhabitant rolled over. "You have to wake up!"

"...Five more minutes…" Tio mumbled sleepily before returning to her original position and reaching for her plush doll, only to grab the Monoeye and envelop her in a warm hug.

"T-Tio-chan.." The MON sniper struggled against Tio's hug, trying her best to resist the warm, relaxing sensation of being in her friend's presence only for the Ogress to tighten the hug, effectively silencing Manako by burying her face in her chest.

"That tickles Mr Bunny…" Tio mumbled sleepily before falling silent, her gentle breathing the only noise in the room.

' _I wanted to save Uzumaki-san… But who will save me?'_ Manako thought grimly as she struggled to escape Tio's grasp.

* * *

 _Back at Naruto's Farm_

"Why are they talking about family?" Toph glanced at Chichi who shrugged. Two Liminals were sat listening to Naruto talk on the phone while keeping one eye on the slumbering Slime girl. Kaguya had retired, declaring there was no reason for a noble to be up at such an unreasonable time and that she needed a bath.

"I'm sure Handler-san has a reason," Chichi glanced at the Slime girl who showed no signs of waking up. "Our guest is still unresponsive."

"Yeah," Toph poked the girl with her bokuto, smirking as the girl mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over. "She really is solid eh? Are we sure she attacked us?" Her tone made it clear she was hoping that Chichi would say no, to try and salvage the Toad-Type's pride.

"She had a piece of Kaguya's kimono," Chichi pointed out, too tired to notice Toph's slightly pleading tone.

"W-well yeah…" Toph frowned. "Still, I guess just because you're cute it doesn't mean ya can't hit hard."

"There's no need to be so embarrassed; even Handler-san wasn't able to beat her," Chichi blinked all of her eyes to try and stave off her exhaustion. It had been an overwhelming night for the Arachne.

"She didn't beat me, ya hear? She just got lucky is all," The Bullywug laid down on a couch and pulled her hat over her eyes. "I'm taking five. Keep an eye on her will ya?" She jerked a thumb at the unconscious Slime before crossing her arms and settling down.

Chichi resisted the urge to remind Toph who was the more senior of the two, instead focusing her attention on the girl before her, which was easier said than done. Her eyes were constantly drooping closed, and her body ached all over. Her ribs were still quite sore, and although she found it easier to breathe now, she was concerned there may have been some serious damage inflicted on her. Her thoughts, already sluggish from fatigue, started to drift around from her original focus until she slapped herself to try and regain focus.

"If only I could drink caffeine!" Chichi suddenly exclaimed. "I need coffee or something to keep me focused! Toph, I'm going to go splash my face with water to wake myself up… Keep an eye on our guest."

"Whatever," Toph grumbled. "Ya ain't my boss…" Not more than a few moments after Chichi left the room to go to the kitchen, she was snoring softly. Unfortunately it was at this point the young Slime girl started to stir.

"Where's the prince?" She mumbled sleepily before looking around. She was in a room she had no recollection of, yet at the same time felt slightly familiar to her. She slowly stretched as she got out of the chair she had been sleeping in, looking around at the large living room. "What a strange place," She mused as she saw all of the different size seats. She paused in fear as she saw Toph. ' _Oh no! That's the strange girl who attacked me in the bushes a few days ago! She must have captured me!'_ She looked around for a way to escape, and she noticed the blonde human that she had spied invading her farm. _'This is bad! Oh, Papa, I'm sorry. Your little girl has gotten herself kidnapped! Wait a second! He's on the phone! He must be calling reinforcements!'_ The girl reached out with her hand, that twisted into a tentacle.

"You think?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know about that but…" He paused as he noticed the pink tentacle wrap around the phone. "Hey… What are you doing?! Wait stop! STOP!" He watched as the Slime tossed the phone across the room, disconnecting it from the charger. "Why did you do that?"

"S-stay away!" The girl squeaked as Naruto walked towards her. "You don't belong here!"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked.

"This is Papa's farm! Go away!" The girl waved her arms wildly. "Shoo!" Unfortunately, her wild flailing achieved nothing but hitting Toph who woke up.

"Alright… Who's the dead punk that hit me?" She growled as she pushed her hat back.

"Oh no…" The Slime panicked. "I woke up the evil one!"

"Evil one?" Toph twitched. "I'll give ya evil ya little brat!"

"Toph!" Naruto shook his head.

"Tch," Toph stood back. "Ya lucky the boss is a nice guy."

"Boss?" The Slime looked at Naruto. "You're a 'Boss'?"

"Er, I guess? Toph calls me that a lot."

"Papa warned me this could happen!" The girl turned away from them mumbling to herself, loud enough for Toph and Naruto to here. "They must have to come to get revenge on Papa! He said that other Boss people didn't like him that much… I won't give up Papa!"

"Er…" Naruto and Toph shared a confused look.

"I won't let you steal Papa's farm!" The young girl ran at Naruto her eyes closed as she flailed at Naruto, achieving little other than amusing Naruto as she spun her arms around like a windmill, missing him with every punch. After a minute she opened her eyes and jumped back. "No… He defeated the super special technique that Papa taught me! Ah… What do I do now?" She turned her back on Naruto again and mumbled to herself.

' _ **... And I thought you were a bad fighter.**_ _'_ Kurama snorted. _**'For what it's worth. I can't sense any genuine malice.'**_

' _Thanks, Kurama.'_ Naruto shook his head. _'I don't think she means us harm. I guess this place is important to her and she wants to protect it.'_

"Are we _sure_ she's the one that attacked us?" Toph snorted as the girl spun around back to face them and pointed at Naruto.

"You can't stay here! If… If you don't leave right now, I'll get really mad!" She puffed out her cheeks. "So shoo!"

"Ya know, ya kind of look adorable right now," Toph smirked. "Ya sure as hell ain't scaring us away. Ya, hear?"

"B-but… This is Papa's farm…" The girl slumped. "You meanies!" She started to cry loudly.

"What's going on in here?," Chichi frowned, her expression lighting up as she saw the crying Slime. She moved closer and crouched down before speaking in a soft voice, "Shh… It's okay. You don't have to cry. We won't hurt you."

"R-really?" Her eyes widened, looking like large emeralds.

"You can trust me," Chichi smiled. "I am a police officer in training, so that makes me…"

"P-p-police?!" She leapt backwards. "Oh no, Papa! It's worse than I thought. A real villain has arrived!"

"W-what?!" Chichi froze in shock.

"Papa was super clear that the police were the bad guys." She pointed at Chichi. "They always get you to do stuff you really don't want to do and punish you for having fun."

"Well she does always try and get ya to follow her rules," Toph nodded in agreement.

"See!" The Slime girl pointed accusingly at Chichi. "You are a big meanie, liar, bully-face! My Papa warned me about people like you!"

"I don't know who your old man is, but he sounds pretty smart," The Toad-Type smirked. "He sounds like the kinda person I could get along with."

"My Papa is the strongest, most awesome person ever!" The girl nodded eagerly.

"Do you have a name?" Naruto chuckled as he walked over to the girl.

"Yes!" She beamed at him. "My name is Saboten-chan! Ah, wait… Papa told me not to talk to strangers! Ah… Forget that you meanie! You tricked me!"

"Well Saboten-chan, we're not here to take your farm from you."

"R-really?" Saboten's eyes widened. "Y-you mean it?"

"This house is the property of the government and as such…" Chichi started to explain the laws.

"Evil police lady!" Saboten pointed accusingly.

"I… I…" Being called evil was too much for the Arachne, and she slumped into silent despair.

"Anyway," Naruto smiled slightly as he tried to reassure Saboten. "What Chichi was trying to say is that we have nowhere else to go. Plus this seems like an awfully big place for such a young girl to live alone right?"

"Papa did say the house was too big for one person." Saboten nodded in agreement.

"I have a solution then," Naruto nodded sagely. "We'll help you look after the farm, okay?"

"Is this a trick?" Saboten narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Because if it is… Papa will beat you up and make you sleep with the fishes!"

"Her father sounds like some sort of criminal," Chichi remarked, having recovered from her earlier shock.

"If loving freedom and being a nice guy who doesn't follow the rules make you a criminal then I would rather be one!" Saboten declared.

"Damn straight!" Toph cheered.

"I think we should separate her from Toph immediately," Chichi turned to Naruto. "Maybe there's still hope for her if we start educating her now. She might have attacked us but …"

"I didn't attack anyone!" Saboten protested.

"Pardon?" Chichi paused.

"I said I never attacked anybody! I don't want to harm people just scare them away!" She declared.

"Then what attacked us last night?" Chichi asked.

"Papa said not to tell the coppers anything." Saboten mimed zipping her mouth shut.

"Seriously," Toph grinned as Chichi started to twitch in anger. "I like the sound of her father! Teaching his kids the important life lessons."

"I'm sure your parents taught you a thing or two." Naruto turned to the toad-type.

"Never really met my dad," Toph shrugged. "But my mother taught me all I needed to know to survive… Ya can't trust nobody." She rubbed her stomach with a distant look on her face.

"Sorry," Naruto paused. "I didn't... "

"It's nothing," Toph shrugged. "I'm still alive, so she clearly did something right."

Unable to think of anything to break Toph's scowl, he returned his attention to Saboten. "Can you tell us what it might have been then? It was a giant pink slime monster."

"I don't know," Saboten frowned softly. "I've lived her all my life and never seen anything like that. Well, there was that one time…"

"Really?" Chichi leant forwards only for Saboten to clam up again, causing the Arachne to slump in defeat and walk back into the kitchen.

"Can you remember what you saw?" Naruto asked.

"Sure mister!" Saboten beamed. "See… It was a long time ago. I was still a little Slime at the time, so I don't remember much. I always remember Mama and Papa said I had to go to bed really early on full moons, but this time there were these nasty people trying to destroy Papa's farm! I thought I would be a good girl and help them out by scaring off the meanies trying to destroy Papa's dream. I stayed up late until all the nasty people had left and then...I vaguely remember climbing into a big yellow digger but there was a strange smell, and I fell asleep. When I woke up, Mama and Papa were so angry with me… They said they were worried that I could have gotten hurt. But the builders had all gone away, and the machinery was all damaged as if something big attacked it! Papa said I was lucky that I wasn't attacked as well."

"A strange smell?" Naruto paused.

"Yup," Saboten nodded. "Come to think of it… I smelled a similar smell yesterday." She frowned. "I was trying to scare you away by writing a scary message on your blanket." Saboten looked at the aforementioned material and holding it out embarrassed. There was smudged message written in some red liquid that Naruto could just about make out as 'Go away or else.' "I was writing the message then I felt really sleepy and snuggled up into the blanket and… well…" She rubbed her head with a cute blush, "I guess I must have fallen to sleep."

"I see," Naruto frowned.

' _ **For what it's worth, I believe that she genuinely believes she didn't do it.'**_ Kurama's voice echoed in Naruto's mind

' _Do you think it was her that attacked those builders and us?'_

' _ **Yeah… Can't you sense the natural energy she is brimming with?'**_ Kurama yawned. _**'I guess she wasn't emitting killing intent because she wasn't trying to kill you, only scare you away. Still, I'd keep my eye on her. Just because she doesn't mean to, doesn't mean she can't hurt you.'**_

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Say Saboten-chan?"

"Yes?" The girl smiled at him.

"You said this is your father's farm?"

"Yes! Papa made this farm with his own sweat and blood!" She nodded vigorously. "It was his dream!"

"His dream," Chichi remarked as she re-entered the room, a cup of orange juice in one hand "Well, if she's telling the truth it seems as if she is the daughter of the first owner of this farm who went missing suddenly."

"Missing? Papa never went missing." Saboten pouted. "Papa was with Mama!"

"Your mother?" Chichi smiled and awkwardly crouched so that she was closer to Saboten before offering her the drink. "Tell me more about her?" _'If I remember, this is the recommended approach to talking to youths in my police books. I have to appear friendly and approachable… This may be easier if I position my hair to hide some of my eyes.'_ She started to fidget with her fringe.

"Papa told me not to speak to coppers!" She repeated but took the drink. "Thank you, Ms Copper."

"You're welcome," Chichi responded, slightly taken aback by her politeness.

"Papa said you have to be polite to everyone. Especially your enemies!" She chirped happily.

"Oh... " Chichi slumped again.

"Chichi isn't your enemy," Naruto assured Saboten, "No one here wants to hurt you."

"Well… I don't think I should talk to strangers…" Saboten looked uncertain.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Naruto chuckled. "I was just curious. See I never really got to meet my parents, so I guess… I kind of envy you."

"Really?" Saboten blinked.

"You talk about your Papa a lot. He must be quite the guy."

"Yup!" She nodded energetically. "Papa is so brave and strong and kind. He built this farm with his own sweat! He was a really popular guy back in his city and had lots of friends that called him boss. He had the largest group of friends for miles but had always dreamed of running a farm in the countryside, so he saved up all his money. But was he got close to his goal some evil coppers took it all away from him! So he saved again but this time hid some of his money better so that when the evil coppers tried again, they didn't get all of his money. He kept doing this and after a long time and much struggling," Saboten clenched her fists dramatically, "He had enough money!" Saboten paused for cheers that didn't come.

"It sounds like her father was laundering money or committing fraud. Probably some big gangster or something." Chichi remarked.

"I know!" Toph nodded. "He sounds pretty badass."

Chichi opened her mouth to reply, before shaking her head and turning back to Saboten, "Sorry. Please continue."

"Okay," Saboten seemed a little disappointed by the lack of a response but quickly returned to her previous level of exuberance and continued the story. "So Papa worked really hard! To keep costs down, he did a lot of his work himself. It took him ages to build the farm. In this time Mama noticed him but kept her distance, shyly watching from a distance. Like me, Mama was always taught to go to bed early on full moons! Apparently, it's something of a family tradition." The Pink Slime declared proudly.

"I have a sneaking suggestion I know why." Chichi shook her head with a wry smile.

"So anyway," Saboten paused. "After much hard work Papa finished the farm! He had a huge house that he had always dreamed off and a massive farm. By himself, the work was really hard, but he kept at it because a man always follows his dreams and must never give up no matter what!"

"Your dad sounds like a pretty wise guy," Naruto nodded.

"I'm glad you agree, Mister!" Saboten beamed at him before resuming her story. "But work as hard as he did, Papa got lonely in such a big house and moved into one of his barns!"

"The forge!" Chichi nodded. "I thought it looked like someone had been living there!" She tried not to show her pride that her detective instincts had been correct.

"Then one day," Saboten's voice dropped to a dramatic whisper, there was a terrible storm during a full moon, and Mama couldn't get to sleep! She tried to get out of the rain and snuck into the forge and then…"

"Then?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Mama and Papa had a long talk and decided to live together forever! After a few weeks, they decided to call up a number only adults knew and got a stork to deliver me!" She beamed happily.

"She… what?" Naruto blinked.

"Ah, I think I understand," Chichi smiled. "You were born?"

"Yep!" Saboten nodded happily. "Then Mama, Papa and I all lived together! Mama wasn't fond of the house, so they moved into the caves near the farm! But then all sorts of people came to take Papa's farm, so Mama and Papa had to scare them away! Then one day when Papa said I was a big girl, he went on a long journey with Mama. They told me to keep the farm safe for when they return!"

"I see," Naruto smiled at her. "And all this time you've been watching over it for them?"

"Yep!"

"You're a good girl," Naruto rubbed her head, as one would ruffle a smaller child's hair.

"Hehehe…" Saboten seemed to enjoy the attention before remembering what was happening. "Ah! That's why you have to leave!"

"Chichi?" Naruto glanced at the Arachne. "Any ideas?"

"While it's true that this farm is hers… She cannot be declared as its owner. Article 2-A, Subsection 3 states that 'Liminals in the program may not own property independently. All purchases must be approved by the handler who then takes joint ownership of the purchase for the duration of the program. Only approved Liminals may own property, and it must be within an agreed distance from either a handler or other official exchange representative.'" Chichi finished. "If she isn't part of the program, she won't have a handler to own the property and I severely doubt she has permission from Ms Smith to own this farm."

"See kid," Toph smirked. "The copper is trying to justify you losing the farm. Ya can't trust 'em"

"That's not true!" Chichi quickly interrupted the grinning toad. "I'm just saying it might be hard to convince Agent Smith that this is Saboten's farm."

"I won't give in!" Saboten looked fired up. "I'm going to protect Papa's dream until he comes back! Then we will all protect it together!"

"How about we help you out?" Naruto suggested.

"You would?" Saboten's eyes seemed to widen. "You'd be my gang and help me out? You can do that?"

"Is there a way to help Saboten keep her farm?" Naruto glanced at Chichi who fidgeted.

" _If,"_ Chichi stressed the word if, "If she can be entered into the program then technically, Handler-san could own the property in your name so that should anything happen to him, you won't be forced to leave."

"See, we can help," Naruto ruffled Saboten's head again, much to the Slime's delight. "You must have been pretty lonely by yourself." He chuckled. "But just like your Papa, you don't have to be alone anymore. You can have a room in this building if you want and we'll all live together."

"That sounds like so much fun!" The Pink Slime bobbed her head excitedly.

"Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves?" Chichi reminded Naruto. "Even if she was born here, she isn't registered in the program. Agent Smith may have to have her detained until they find somewhere to send her."

"She can try," Toph remarked boastfully. "I wanted a rematch against that Ogress anyway!"

"Because the two times you've tried to fight her have ended so well for you." Chichi deadpanned.

"Don't worry," Naruto stroked Saboten's head again, who beamed at the attention, "I promise you can stay here. I won't let anyone take you away from your farm."

"Aniki!" Her eyes shimmered as she looked at Naruto in awe. "You're awesome Aniki!"

"Aniki?" Naruto blinked.

"Ah… Papa said that Aniki was what you called a super cool Boss!"

"Hehehehe," Naruto could only laugh weakly and blush. "Say Saboten-chan. How about I help you move out of that cave and into a room in here. We have plenty to choose from."

"Okay!" Saboten beamed. "Me and Aniki will protect Papa's farm!"

"I give you my word." Naruto nodded. "And I never go back on my word. That's my Nindo… My Ninja way!"

"Aniki!" Saboten had stars in her eyes. "You're so cool."

"R-really?" Naruto laughed. "W-well, I am a pretty big deal in my home village."

"I'll bet!" Saboten nodded happily. "You must have lots of friends!"

"I…" Naruto smiled wistfully. "Yeah. I guess I do." He shook his head and followed Saboten out of the house, a small pang in his chest as he thought about his friends back in his dimension.

' _ **We'll find a way back.'**_ Kurama reassured Naruto.

' _Thanks, Kurama… I know.'_

"I get the feeling we've forgotten about something," Toph frowned. "Got any ideas fat-ass?"

"It's probably nothing," Chichi frowned. "I'm sure it can wait until we've had some rest to deal with." She made her way to her room, tailed by a limping Toph, who couldn't shake the feeling there was something important they were forgetting.

* * *

 _Tio's Room_

"Ah~" Tio blinked sleepily as she stretched out, looking at the clock. "Oh, my… I woke up far too early." She picked up the clock, scowling with a cute pout at the hands. "It's only four a.m."

"Tio-chan!" Manako called out.

"Ah! Manako-Chan," Tio rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Why are you in my bed? Did you have a nightmare?"

"N-no!" Manako stood up. "I got an emergency phone call!"

"Emergency?" Tio tilted her head cutely. "Who from?"

"Uzumaki-san." Manako frowned. "He said they had been attacked by a Slime monster, but they had everything under control but he suddenly hung up and I can't get back in touch!"

"Oh no…" Tio bit her lip. _'If the farm is under attack then the cute bunnies could be in danger!'_ "We have to do something!"

"R-right!" Manako nodded.

"I'll go wake up Zombina-chan, and you wake up Doppel-chan," Tio proclaimed.

"Shouldn't we call Ms Smith?" The Monoeye suggested.

"We can ring her on the way to the office," Tio declared.

"Okay!" Manako nodded as she ran out of the room to wake up their shape-shifting teammate.

"Yosh!" Tio walked over to a large cabinet and quickly threw on her basic MON uniform, lightly slapping her face to wake herself up before leaving her room and locking it behind her, then making her way to the Zombie squadmates room. She knocked on it gently.

"Zombina-chan!" Tio called out getting no response. "We have an emergency~."

There was a barely audible grumble from the other side of the door.

"Zombina-chan!" Tio knocked harder, causing the door to splinter. "Oops... "

Stood behind the ruined door was a tired looking Zombina, wearing a loose fitting shirt that fell below her waist and little else. Several chunks of the door were stuck in her, although she showed no signs of caring or even noticing about the damage to herself.

"Morning…" Zombina blinked slowly as she rubbed the back of her head, apparently not noticing the shards of door stuck into her chest. "What's so important that you gotta bust up my door?"

"So sorry," Tio bowed her head apologetically, "But Manako-chan says there's an emergency!"

"Huh?" Zombina scowled. "What's happened?"

"Apparently Uzumaki-san is in danger," Tio exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Zombina grinned widely. "Something can give him trouble? Ha, that sounds awesome!" She vanished into her room and quickly returned wearing a camo bandana, a green vest top and cargo pants. "Let's go hunting!"

The two MON agents headed to the front door where a pale Manako and a smirking Doppel were waiting for them.

"What's up with her?" Zombina jerked her head at the spaced out Monoeye.

"She saw my true form," Doppel shrugged. "That's what you get for waking me up so damn late."

"Technically is is early," Tio happily chirped.

"Come on you," Zombina grabbed Manako. "Let's move out!"

"Who's driving?" Doppel asked as they walked down the hallways of the apartment complex. The team were making their way towards the car park where a large black SUV awaited them. As expected of a vehicle designed for MON's use, it had been specially designed to allow Tio to fit in it, although admittedly this was by cutting a small hole in the roof so she could sit down without curling into a ball.

"I'll do it!" Zombina proudly declared.

"... Any other takers?" Doppel asked weakly as Zombina produced the keys from her cargo pants. "Please?"

* * *

 _Ms Smith's Apartment_

The small apartment was silent as a grave; discarded clothes littered the floor, and dirty coffee cups covered most of the surfaces. The only noise was the occasional gentle drip of water from a leaky faucet, dripping into the sink, full of dirty plates.

In one corner of the room, Kuroko Smith was laid on top of her bed, halfway through getting undressed after another long day. Her shirt was unbuttoned but still on, and her trousers were around her ankles. She was snoring softly when the silence was suddenly broken by her phone ringing on the desk next to her bed.

"Wha?" She mumbled as she answered the phone.

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" A hysterical voice cried out over the phone. It took Smith a few moments to realize it was Manako.

"-Nako?" Smith rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed.

"Ah sorry for waking you up! I got an emergency call from Uzumaki-san."

"He'll be fine," Smith yawned.

"But he was on the phone when it suddenly disconnected and… FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY! THE LAMPOST!"

"Zombina-chan driving?" Smith smirked. "Did you try calling him back?"

"The phone wouldn't connect!"

"Hm…" Smith frowned. "That does sound serious." She opened the drawer of her bedside table, revealing her handgun and several magazines of ammunition; mostly the non-lethal tranquilizers she carried. She expertly loaded the handgun, cocking it with a grim frown. "I'll meet you at the offices to get tooled up." _'Nothing get between me and my free meal ticket.'_

"Okay. Oh, no LOOK OUT FOR THAT…" There was a click and the phone disconnected.

"...I'm sure they're fine," Smith picked up her sunglasses, buttoning her clothes up and glancing at the clock. "Four a.m.? Servant-kun owes me one hell of a meal for this…"

* * *

 _Sometime Later, Naruto's Farm_

Naruto groaned as he woke up, the sunlight shining through the gaps in the barricades that Toph and Chichi had hastily set up the previous night. Glancing at the alarm clock that was bleeping noisily next to his bed, he realized he had overslept.

"6 a.m.?" He rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I should start making breakfast. The last thing I need is a moody Toph causing a ruckus because there's nothing to eat."

He rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and casting a glance around his mostly empty room. Besides the king size bed with bright orange bed sheets, the only other furnishings he had were a large wardrobe (with no clothes in it) and a small set of drawers (also empty). The few items of clothes he had were folded haphazardly over the edge of the bed, having been quickly cleaned before he went to bed. Sighing as he picked them up, he put them on then summoned a clone to make breakfast and left his room to head towards the bathroom. He paused outside as he heard scrubbing.

"Hello?" He knocked on the door, not getting a response. When he tried it, he found it opened and there was a soft humming noise from inside. "Hello?" He repeated a little louder.

"Aniki? Come on in!"

"Saboten-chan," Naruto paused. "Are you dressed?"

"Yup!" Her cheery voice echoed in the room. "Papa said I should stay fully dressed at all times while I'm within throwing distance of a boy, and Papa could throw a stone really far!"

"Right," Naruto smiled softly as he stepped inside to see Saboten hard at work. She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, with added rubber gloves as she scrubbed the floor with a sponge "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to apologize for trying to scare you all away." She looked at her feet. "You seem like really cool people, and I don't think you want to hurt me or Papa's dream. So I'll help you maintain the house for when Papa comes back."

"You're a good girl," Naruto ruffled the top of Saboten's head, resulting in the Slime girl beaming joyfully. "I'll just get a shower okay?"

"Okay." Saboten stood up, "I'll go make breakfast!" She declared.

"That's fine, I'm making it right now." Naruto smiled.

"But… you're getting a shower," Saboten's face clearly showed her confusion.

"You'll see if you head to the kitchen," Naruto replied mysteriously, and the curious Slime girl headed to the kitchen and saw an identical Naruto hard at work.

"B-but you were just in the bathroom." The Pink Slime's green eyes widened comically.

"Huh?" The clone noticed the young girl. "Oh hey, Saboten-chan. I'm a clone. The boss was the one that you spoke to in the shower."

"Clone?" Saboten tilted her head cutely.

"Yup," The clone nodded, "The boss can make plenty of us."

"Wow!" Saboten eyes widened, "Aniki is so cool!"

"W-well," The clone smiled smugly. "I guess it is a pretty impressive. What would you like to eat?"

"Ah," Saboten looked thoughtful. "In the forest, I ate whatever fruits I could. Mama said I could eat anything as I just dissolve it inside of me." She rubbed her stomach.

"That makes things easy," The clone chuckled. "So what were your parents like? You've said a fair bit about your dad but not much about your mother."

"Mama was a Pink Slime like me." Saboten smiled, "Although she was much goopier."

"Goopy?"

"Uh huh," Saboten nodded happily as she clambered onto a stool to watch the clone at work. "She couldn't wear heavy clothes as they just sank into her. Mama used to say she was envious of my slime because I can wear pretty clothes." She kicked her legs idly. "But Mama was so pretty and kind… I miss her a lot."

"I see." The clone chuckled as started to butter some toast, "Did your parents say how long they were going to go away for?"

"Nope," Saboten slumped a little, "They just said they were going on a grand adventure that would be too dangerous for me and that they were counting on me to look after the farm."

"Well," The clone smiled reassuringly at her, "You don't have to worry about looking after this farm by yourself anymore."

"Right!" Saboten brightened up. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"Will you check on the others for me?" The clone asked. "Maybe apologize for your actions yesterday?"

"Okay!" Saboten cheerfully pushed herself off of the stool and hopped out of the room, whistling cheerfully as she made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards the other's rooms.

Her first stop was Chichi's room, who opened the door when she knocked on it. She had bags under her eyes and was clutching her ribs with a grimace. The only article of clothing that she was wearing was a long shirt that fell below the bottom of her humanoid body and covered everything that it needed to. Saboten was vaguely aware of some barricades set up in her window but thought nothing of it. After all, most of the windows seemed to have barricades on it, and they did talk about some big Slime monster that attacked them.

"Morning!" Saboten chirped cheerfully. "Aniki's clone asked me to check on you. Also, I am very, very sorry about trying to scare you all away." She bowed her head. "I didn't mean to upset anybody. I just wanted to protect Papa's dream! You can call me Saboten!" She beamed, finishing her introduction with a curtsy.

"Don't worry about it Saboten-chan," Chichi smiled softly. "My name is Chichi, pleased to meet you." She smiled and reached towards the girl to ruffle her head like Naruto had but suddenly flinched and clutched her side again.

"Oh no! You are hurt!" Saboten noticed the bandages that were wrapped around her chest, "Who did that?"

"I'm perfectly fine, so don't worry. Is breakfast ready?" The Long-Leg type smiled.

"Ah, Aniki's clone is making it now." The Slime girl nodded happily.

"Do you want to come in?" Chichi stepped aside, allowing Saboten to notice the ordered and tidy room behind her.

"No thank you," She shook her head, the black hair-like slime waving in time to her movements, "Papa said I should never go into a room with coppers because they'll beat you up and make you confess to stuff that you never did!"

"I promise you that I've no intention of doing that," Chichi laughed weakly.

"But Papa wouldn't lie about something like that." Saboten frowned and crossed her arms. "You are trying to make Papa into a villain!"

"That… I'm not…" Chichi weakly protested. "Maybe… Maybe your dad had a run in with a bad officer? He warned you that some 'Boss' people were bad, but he was one and a good guy right?"

"Well, that is true." Saboten looked thoughtful. "So I guess there could be a police officer who wasn't a big meanie face."

"R-right," Chichi smiled as the Slime girl looked thoughtful. The image of the young girl looking so thoughtful brought a smile to the Arachne's face. _'She seems so pure and innocent… It makes me want to protect her.'_

"Okay!" Saboten suddenly exclaimed. "If you're part of Aniki's family you must be a good person."

"Thanks," Chichi smiled, "For giving me a chance."

"You're welcome." Saboten chirped happily before turning around and skipping down the hallway to the next room which held the Toad-Type Bullywug.

Without a care in the world, Saboten knocked loudly on the door and was answered with an incomprehensible groan.

"Hello?" When Saboten tried the door, it opened, silently and she slowly stepped inside. The room was a bomb site, as usual dirty clothes were thrown onto piles on the floor and Toph herself lying face down on the bed, the bedding and duvet barely on the bed. Her hat was on one of the bedposts and her jacket on the other. The bandages that usually adorned her chest was thrown to the side leaving her dressed in only some boxers. As with Chichi's room, the windows were barricaded and only a thin beam of light from the morning sun shone through the window. A rat poked its head out of the jacket pocket, looking critically at the Slime girl before curling back up to go back to sleep.

"Are you awake?" She leaned forward to wake up the Toad-Type.

The half-asleep Toph caught the sight of the Pink Slime girl reaching out for her and instinctively moved to defend herself. She rolled out of her bed, grabbing the bokuto that was perched on her bed and hurling it at the surprised girl who watched confused as the sword stuck into her jelly-like body, sticking in her midriff that had been exposed when she stretched forwards. "Wanna another go do ya?"

"Eh?" She tilted her head confused. "Are you okay nee-chan?"

Toph flinched. "Don't call me that ya here?!" She angrily glared at the new arrival, trying to ignore the pang of guilt she felt at snapping at the young girl. "And don't sneak up on me like that. Ya lucky I held back."

"Ah… sorry…" Saboten's eyes started to waver like they were watering, and her bottom lip started to tremble.

"Geez, no need for the waterworks," Toph grumbled under her breath before addressing the young girl in a louder voice. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to yell."

"It's okay!" Saboten cheered up instantly. "I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep! Mama and Papa didn't like me waking them up when they were all cuddly together in the morning! Papa wasn't usually wearing his clothes then as well."

"Well, now ya know," Toph stretched out. "Could ya give me my blade back?"

"My name is Saboten, and I'm sorry for any trouble I caused you all yesterday." She bowed her head and pulled the bokuto from her body. "This is so cool!"

"Heh," Toph rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks. The name's Toph, by the way." The Toad-Type hopped out of bed, landing with a strangled cry of pain.

"Are you alright?" Saboten hurried over to Toph's side.

"It's nothing. I just slept funny on my ankle," Toph found herself unable to blame the girl for injuring her. She was just so damn adorable that even the sceptical Bullywug was unable to bring herself to hate the girl. _'Maybe the boss was right, and on a full moon she becomes some sort of berserker or something. There's no way this little gel would be able to defeat the mighty Toph-sama!'_

"Okay." Saboten bowed, her hair bobbing in time with her actions. "I hope you can teach me lots about being cool like you."

"W-well, I might have time I guess," Toph puffed her chest out proudly. "Still this is my gang ya here… If you try and hurt anyone… Ya gonna have to answer to me. Ya understand?"

"Okay." Saboten bowed her head.

"Good," Toph hobbled over to her bed. "Now get outta here will ya."

"R-right." Saboten quickly fled the room, approaching the last resident's room and taking a deep breath before knocking.

"You may enter." A cold voice that sent shivers down Saboten's back answered. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and paused at what she saw.

Of the three rooms, Kaguya's was the most striking, if only for the fact it was full of cute little bunny rabbits that all turned to face the young Slime as she entered, only to hop under the bed. Sat amongst them, with the air of a queen, was Kaguya herself, kneeling on the floor and writing something using a brush and ink. She had an air of concentration as if the task before her required all of her focus to complete. Saboten edged into the room to get a better look at the third and final non-human member of the household.

The former goddess was fully dressed in a slightly tattered Kimono with one of the sleeves rolled up slightly to reveal a pale hand holding the brush while the other sleeve hung empty. Unlike the other residents, there were no obvious signs of fatigue although the shakiness of her hand as she drew could be accredited to a lack of sleep. Perched on her shoulder was a bunny that turned to look at her, before twitching its nose and jumping from Kaguya's shoulder, joining its fellow rabbits underneath the bed.

"Er… Hi," Saboten squeaked nervously.

"Oh, it's you," Kaguya looked over her shoulder at the Slime girl. "Do you have a reason for disturbing me? Come to finish the job?"

"S-sorry," The gelatinous girl bowed her head. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble yesterday! M-My name is Saboten, and I hope we can be friends."

"Friends?" Kaguya laid down the brush and stood up. "I assume by the fact you are walking unaccompanied that my servant has deemed you trustworthy."

"Servant?" Saboten blinked.

"The blonde human."

"Oh, Aniki!" The young girl's head bobbed up and down. "He told me to introduce myself and apologize for the trouble I caused."

"So you admit to the fact you assaulted me?"

"That wasn't me!" Saboten shook her head. "Honest!"

Kaguya glacial gaze caused the girl to shiver, like a deer stuck in the headlights of a rapidly approaching car. After an uncomfortably long time, Kaguya let out a sigh and got to her feet and walked towards her.

"Er,.. Miss…" Saboten shivered at the glare she received and stood aside as Kaguya walked out of the room and down the hallway without a further word, pausing after walking a few steps past the scared Slime.

"My name is Kaguya. I am a former goddess and current noble lord of this household, and you will address me as such." She called over her shoulder

"H-Hai Tsuki no Usagi-hime-sama," Saboten stammered.

"...You are a curious one aren't you?" Kaguya's lips pursed. "Still my servant, whilst mostly useless, is not entirely incompetent. I will trust his judgement in your case. Do not disappoint me."

"I won't. I promise you! Thank you, Tsuki no…"

"Kaguya-hime will suffice."

"R-right Kaguya hime-sama!"

"If only the others were as respectful as you." Kaguya sighed as Toph stepped out of her room, limping slightly.

"What are ya looking at bunny hag?" The Toad-Type narrowed her eyes.

"Something that is ruining my appetite," Kaguya remarked. "I shall be down for breakfast momentarily. I need to clean my face first. Tell my servant to have my meal ready for me."

"Tell him yourself damn it," Toph grumbled as she walked down the hallway.

Saboten walked down the hallway, stopping only to dart inside her room. It was sparsely decorated, with only the picture of her with her Papa on the bedside table and a dirty blanket which she picked up before heading back downstairs to the kitchen where Naruto and Toph were eating breakfast.

"Aniki!" Saboten ran up to Naruto, who she guessed was the real one due to his damp hair. "I'm sorry for stealing this!" She held the blanket out to Naruto, who accepted it with a soft smile.

"Thanks," He ruffled her hair slime before putting the blanket to one side as Saboten sat at the table next to him. While Toph wasn't saying anything; she kept shooting the young girl looks that weren't hostile but weren't friendly either. She subconsciously found herself sliding along the seat to get closer to Naruto, who noticed but decided against saying anything, instead giving Toph a look to which the Toad-Type scoffed and focused on her breakfast.

' _ **Convenient that she isn't leaving that trail anymore.'**_ Kurama remarked. _**'I imagine that saves you some work.'**_

' _Yeah… It would be a pain cleaning up after her, and you just know that Kaguya would complain about it. It's as if Saboten's full moon form and her normal form at two completely different people with different slime make-up.'_

' _ **Yeah… Speaking of which, do you have any plans in place for the next time we have a full moon? While seeing Kaguya get her comeuppance would be funny, I could do without having to save you every full moon.'**_

' _I'll think of something, I always do.'_ Naruto promised, ignoring Kurama's snort of laughter. "So… You mentioned that building this farm was your father's dream?"

"Yep!" Saboten brightened again at the opportunity to talk about her beloved father. "He wanted to make a big farm and make lots of people happy by making food for them all. He told me he wanted to have cows for milk and chickens for eggs and goats for…" Saboten paused. "Papa wasn't sure why he needed goats but said a proper farm has to have them. He was planning to grow all sorts of things like fruit, so I could grow big and strong and plenty of rice because it is the staple of a true Japanese diet. Papa was going to make lots of Sake as well, but never got around to learning how it was made."

"He had big plans didn't he?" Naruto smiled.

"Yup! But he was gonna do it! Papa could do anything!" Saboten declared.

"How about we get it up and running for him?" Naruto suggested.

"You'd do that?" The Pink Slime's face lit up. "For real?"

"For real," Naruto nodded. "I mean, thanks to my clones we don't really have to worry about manpower."

"You are just like Papa! So cool!" Saboten beamed at him.

"Oh well… I wouldn't go that far," Naruto grinned stupidly as Saboten sang his praises.

"This is going to be awesome!" Saboten cheered. "Papa will be so proud when he comes back."

"If he comes back." Toph interrupted. "Let's be honest here. It sounds like ya got dumped, kid."

"What do you mean?" Saboten looked unsure.

"Ya parents decided they'd had enough and left ya behind. It happens."

"No! Papa and Mama loved me! They wouldn't do that." Saboten looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm sure they didn't," Naruto comforted Saboten while signalling at Toph to shut up.

"What? Ya don't need parents kiddo. Ya got us now." Toph shrugged, not getting why Naruto was getting annoyed with her.

Naruto found himself wishing for a distraction as Saboten was looking downcast and Toph was also in a bad mood. Unfortunately, his wish was granted when the back door of the kitchen flew off of its hinges and struck Toph off of her chair.

"What the hell?!" Toph yelled as she struggled to her feet. "You…"

Naruto, with Saboten clinging to him like a life raft, got out of his seat to face the new arrival. "Oh hey, Tio-chan." He nodded at the armored behemoth stood where the door to the kitchen used to be. She was flanked by Zombina and Doppel, with Smith and Manako visible behind them.

"Uzumaki-san!" Tio beamed at him as she removed her armored helmet. "I'm sorry about the door, but we were worried that you were in trouble!"

"Hey Tio-chan," Doppel hissed in her ear as the rest of MON entered the kitchen. "Weren't you going to try and rebuff Uzumaki-san's affections?"

"Oh," Tio blinked. "That's right… I mean… I'm not sorry about that door, and I definitely wasn't worried about you!"

"Wow that was subtle," Zombina rolled her eyes while Doppel struggled not to laugh.

"Ya what?" Toph pointed the bokuto at Tio. "So ya did try and hit me on purpose!"

"Er…" Tio floundered panicking.

"Alright then. Ya want round two I'll bring it!" Toph declared leaping off of her chair and landed on her bad ankle, causing her to yelp in pain and fall over. "D-damn it! If ya hadn't carried out that sneak attack with the door, I would kick your ass!"

"S-sorry," Tio's shoulders slumped.

"Well… Considering I got woken up at 4 a.m. to respond to a crisis, I have to admit I was expecting to see someone dead." Smith took her sunglasses off and cleaned them. "So what was so important that you had to call the emergency line?"

"Oh well," Naruto gestured to Saboten who was poking her head out from behind him, "We found Saboten-chan here."

"Oh?" Tio's eyes lit up as Saboten stepped out. "You look so cute!"

"And that's the emergency?" Smith sighed.

"W-well things got a little hectic," Naruto responded vaguely. "But I reported that it wasn't an emergency as such to Shino-san."

"To… who?" Smith blinked.

"T-that doesn't matter!" Manako interrupted.

"Well…" Smith decided against following up. "Seeing as we're all here anyway, I think it is only fair that you make us all breakfast."

"How'd I guess that this conversation would end up with you getting a free meal," Naruto sighed heavily and headed back into the kitchen, followed by Saboten.

"Shino?" Smith glanced at Manako who went bright crimson.

"I panicked when I heard his voice," Manako mumbled. "I thought he might be mad because of the prank that I helped Zombina-chan and Doppel-chan pull on him."

"You're just too precious sometimes," Smith chuckled fondly as Naruto returned with several plates of toast.

"I've got some clones working on the food," Naruto put down the food he was carrying as another clone came out with some coffee for Smith.

"Here," Smith handed him another card. "This is your out-of-hours non-emergency number okay? If you have another incident like this one, use this number instead."

"Wait a minute that's my number!" Zombina exclaimed as she looked at the card.

"Oh is it?" Smith smiled innocently, causing everyone (bar Toph and Zombina) to laugh. "Still, we need to decide what to do about Saboten-chan here. I'm afraid that as an unregistered Liminal I have to arrange for her to be taken away and deported back to her home."

"This is my Papa's farm and it is my home! I don't wanna leave!" She declared. "Aniki said he would let me stay and we'll run the farm together!"

"That's a big promise you made," Smith looked at Naruto.

"W-well it _is_ her home," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I couldn't just kick her out, could I?"

"But _I_ am the one who will have to deal with the paperwork for it all," She sighed dramatically. "I'll tell you what. I'll make you an offer you can't refuse."

"Yes?" Saboten clasped her hands together.

"You make me larger meals whenever I'm here," Smith took a sip of coffee.

"That's it?" Naruto blinked. "Of course I'll do that for you."

"Then I'll sort out the paperwork for Saboten-chan for you." Smith nodded.

"Yipee!" Saboten jumped up. "I can stay! The mafia boss said so!"

"Mafia boss…" Smith blinked.

"Well you wear a suit, and you have big strong goons, and you make people offers they can't refuse." Saboten blinked. "Papa said those are the traits of a mafia boss."

"I'm a government agent," Smith corrected before returning her attention to Naruto, "I'll have to fill in a new species form for the Exchange Program as I don't think any Slimes have ever joined the program." Smith nursed her coffee, "But I'm sure that won't be too hard to do."

"Prepare to be surprised," Doppel smirked.

"What do you mean?" Smith glanced at the shapeshifter.

"I had to fill in those forms myself as I was the first of my kind to join the program." Doppel shivered. "All that paperwork… There was so much."

"You're such a drama queen," Smith remarked dryly. "Let me enjoy my victory will you?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

While Smith was savoring her victory, Naruto was finding some difficulty in talking to Tio. For some reason, the Ogress refused to look at him and spoke only in short, curt sentences.

"Do you want something else to eat?" Naruto suggested.

"Maybe," Tio looked away from him.

' _Kurama… Did I do something wrong?'_

' _ **Probably, but hell if I know what it was.'**_ Kurama replied, his voice making it clear he was disinterested.

"Have I upset you in some way?" Naruto looked down.

"Ah… No that isn't it!" Tio bit her lip. _'No Tio-chan! You have to been mean to him! He has a crush on you, and it wouldn't work out, so this is the kind thing to do! Doppel-chan said so!'_

"Well… If I have, I'm sorry," He smiled sadly at her. "I would never intentionally upset someone as nice you."

"T-t-that's nice to know," Tio stared intently at her plate. _'I'm sorry Uzumaki-san! This is for your own good. Still… It is nice to be fawned over like this. No! Bad Tio!'_ She started shaking her head furiously.

"This is like a train wreck," Zombina glanced at Doppel. "I don't get it, why is she trying to be distant and aloof?"

"Oh, I may have made her think that Uzumaki-san has a crush on her," Doppel smirked. "And she may be under the impression that the only outcome of him having said crush is Uzumaki-san getting himself arrested for violating the law. Therefore the best thing would be to get him to stop having a crush on her by acting distant and cold."

"...Does she realize she is practically impossible to hate and when people see her upset and they instinctively want to try and help her out?" Zombina asked.

"Apparently not," Doppel chuckled.

"Do you want me to cook you a different meal? Maybe some desserts?" Naruto offered.

"N-no!" Tio shook her head. _'I have to be strong!"_

Fortunately for Tio, she was saved by a tranquilizer dart hitting Naruto in the neck.

"Hey! I warned you about trying to seduce Tio away from my team!" Smith fired another tranquilizer into Naruto for good measure.

"Why is there such a racket in my household?" Kaguya entered the kitchen yawning. "Oh…" She noticed Tio. "I see the uncultured Ogre is here and …" Her gaze stopped on the naked Doppel who waved cheerfully at her. "Y-you are naked?!"

"Well clothes don't feel right on me," Doppel shrugged. "I like to feel the air on my body." She stretched out seductively.

"H-how shameless! Have you no class?" Kaguya diverted her gaze. "Only a babe under the age of a year can be excused for nudity."

"What? You scared of a little skin?" Doppel smirked.

"No matter what class one resides in, you wear clothes to protect your modesty!" Kaguya went to sit down next to Naruto, then noticed Saboten and chose to sit on the opposite side of the table.

"I don't know, I think being nude would be better than walking around in those rags," Doppel countered.

"R-rags! These were made by the finest weaver in all my kingdom!" She paused as she looked at the damage her kimono had taken. "Still, if I had something to change into I would. I find myself extremely limited when it comes to clothing."

"Yeah, we are a bit short on clothing. All I have is this outfit," Naruto frowned. "And even then I'm missing the jacket."

"I'll get that right to you," Doppel grinned. "It just needs some cleaning first."

"Oh, you didn't have to clean it," Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, don't worry. It's my pleasure." Doppel smiled disarmingly.

"She's planning something isn't she?" Smith leant over to Zombina who nodded.

"Probably, she hasn't gotten over the fact her attempts to prank Uzumaki-san failed miserably." Zombina nodded.

"Well, it's none of my business," Smith finished her coffee and gave a content sigh. "I'll need to write you up a permit so you all can go shopping for new clothes. I'll try and divert some funds your way as well, as I guess most of the budget this month has been spent on food," The coordinator returned her attention to Naruto.

"We've not even been here a week, and you've eaten most of our food," Naruto deadpanned.

"Details, details." Smith smiled, "And while I'm at, it I'll need to ask Saboten-chan a few questions for her application, so we might as well do that on the same day."

"W-well," Saboten bowed her head. "I mean no disrespect Don Smith, but would I be able to take Aniki with me?"

"Don Smith?" Smith blinked. "I told you I'm not a mafia boss but sure. I have no objections to Servant-kun coming along. He can make clones to keep the others in check." She paused and glanced at her empty coffee, "On that note, maybe you could get some clones to whip up another batch of coffee?"

Naruto summoned a few clones with a chuckle as everyone finished up their breakfasts. _'You know… While I have to use a fair few clones… I do enjoy these lively breakfasts. I'll bet this is what it's like to have a family.'_ He sighed as Toph challenged Tio to arm wrestling. _'They are loud and cause a mess but… I think I'm glad to be able to do this.'_

' _Are you having second thoughts about going back home?'_

' _No! Of course not. Still, I'll miss this when I'm back in Konoha. I wonder what's going on there right now?"_

"Hey, Uzumaki-san!" Zombina grinned. "That was a pretty good breakfast. Here let me shake you by the hand!"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Sure I guess…" He reached out for Zombina's hand only to blink stupidly as it fell off of her arm.

"W-what did you do?!" Zombina gasped.

"Wow, Aniki is so strong!" Saboten declared.

"Yeah… I guess I am," Naruto looked at the limb in surprise.

"Not… Not the reaction I was going for…" Zombina sighed.

* * *

 _Much, Much Later On_

"I regret everything." Smith took a sip of coffee as she regarded the mountain of paperwork that now cluttered her desk. "Apparently Doppel wasn't lying." She put the empty coffee cup down and rubbed her forehead as she continued filling in the forms. "That's it… This is the last time I do this for anyone!" She declared. "Next time I meet a strange Slime or whatever… I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist! Never again!" Smith slammed her fist on the desk causing the paperwork to fall off of her desk. "Why me…" She glanced at her phone. "Maybe… Maybe the others can help!" She dialed Manako's number as she was the most likely to answer and waited until the line went dead.

"Everything okay there?" A caretaker walked passed her desk.

"My life is an eternal torment," Smith replied bluntly.

"Sounds good. I'll leave you to your work." The man waved as he continued on his way.

"The things I do…" Smith dialed the number again. "Please pick up the phone!" She pleaded.

* * *

 _MON's Apartment Complex_

Manako glanced at her phone guiltily as it started to ring again and reached to pick it up. The MON squad had been given the day off thanks to the early morning emergency call from Naruto and were spending it just relaxing in Tio's room dressed in the pyjamas. There were several pizza boxes open and various drinks on a small table where Doppel was sitting.

Zombina was laying on the floor wearing a large shirt with the picture of a man with a chainsaw hand and a shotgun that fell below her waist. She was watching some a horror film that Manako wasn't keen on with Tio was sat next to them in her usual bedtime lingerie with a pink dressing gown over the top of it. She was peering from behind her stuffed rabbit to watch the show, hiding every time the show got a little tense.

"Who is it?" Doppel asked as she helped herself to another slice of pizza.

"It's Smith-san," The Monoeye went to answer the phone.

"Don't answer it," Zombina shook her head. "This is her punishment!"

"Punishment? Manako frowned softly.

"Yup," The Zombie nodded with an evil grin. "When you think about it, she's the reason we (that is Doppel and me) accidentally pranked the wrong person. Uzumaki-san was innocent."

"W-well that's true." Manako accepted as the phone died.

"Plus, she gave Uzumaki-san your number and woke you up! It should have been her that had to deal with that. She's the coordinator, not you." Zombina opened a can of beer and took a sip. "She needs to learn that she can't just drop all her hard work on us." Zombina's phone started to ring. "Hang on a sec," She put her phone on silent. "This show is getting to the good bit!"

"G-good bit?" Tio peaked out from behind her rabbit.

"Yeah, the murderer tracks down the two girls and cuts them in half! It's got really good CGI." Zombina took another sip of the drink.

Tio merely shivered and hid behind the rabbit again.

"But what if it's something serious," Manako bit her lip as Tio's phone started to ring, scaring the life out of the Ogress and causing her to run out of the room screaming, only for her to return several moments later blushing heavily.

"I can guarantee that she's just struggling with the new species paperwork." Doppel waved her half eaten pizza slice at Manako. "It took me about a month to get my papers finalized. Admittedly I wasn't in a rush to do so. Knowing Smith, she probably thought she could hammer it out in a couple of days on top of all of her other work."

Manako's phone started to ring again.

"Man, she's desperate for help," Doppel chuckled.

"Ah… It isn't Smith-san." Manako bit her lip. "It's Uzumaki-san."

"Servant-kun?" Doppel mimicked Smith. "I wonder what he wants?"

"M-maybe there's an emergency!" The Monoeye turned to Zombina worried.

"Yeah, maybe he's been attacked by a cute lil' puppy Liminal this time," The Zombie laughed. "Seriously, though? Did you get a good look at the girl? She was like a punk schoolgirl or something."

"She was cute," Tio agreed, happy to focus on something that wasn't the horror movie. "Like the cute little sister I never knew I wanted."

"Maybe you should take Uzumaki-kun up on his offer of moving in then?" Doppel teased the giantess. "He was all over you today."

"Geez," She pouted adorably. "I was trying so hard to make him lose interest."

"H-Hello," Manako spoke in a low voice, earning a curious look from the rest of MON. "Asada Shino speaking."

Doppel grinned evilly and took the phone from Manako, pressing the speakerphone button before handing it back to Manako.

"Oh hey, it's me again." Naruto's voice sounded pretty cheerful. "I was just ringing to apologize if you got into any trouble today. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Don't worry about it," Manako bit her lip nervously.

"Still thanks for sending Smith and her friends to check on us. I appreciate it."

'Ask him what he thinks of Tio,' Doppel mouthed.

"Er…" Manako gulped. "Were there any members of the team that stood out to you?"

"Er…" Naruto's voice sounded confused. "W-well I guess there is Tio-chan. She seemed to get along with Saboten-chan."

Tio hid behind her bunny as Doppel and Zombina gave her knowing looks.

"Not to mention Zombina-chan kind of left an impression with her disassembly trick. Then there was that sniper girl I remember from the top of the building... Manako was it?"

"O-Oh?" Manako squeaked before clearing her throat and trying again. "And what did you think of her?"

"I… I get the feeling I upset her or something. She kept avoiding my gaze and was really quiet. Maybe she just doesn't like me. Kind of a shame really, I'll bet she's a cool person to know."

"W-well…" Manako wasn't sure how to respond.

"Come to think of it I remember Tio was a little cold to me as well. I guess I must have done something to offend her too. Maybe it's because they got woken up to answer a non-emergency. Could you pass on an apology to them from me."

"W-will do." The Monoeye nodded, not that Naruto could see that.

"Great! Thanks again for your help Shino-san. Bye!"

"Bye." The phone disconnected.

"Huh," Doppel nodded. "It's worse than I thought."

"W-worse?" Manako glanced at Tio who looked as lost as her.

"Yup," Zombina drained the can and crushed it against her forehead. "He clearly has it bad."

"Has it bad?" Tio echoed.

"He's a Liminal-phile," Doppel finished. "He has no interest in human girls. He didn't even mention Smith once."

"T-that's true," Manako blinked.

"Then again he didn't mention you," Zombina patted Doppel on the shoulder in a patronizing manner. "I'm sure one day you'll be able to attract a guy or girl. You do look like a kid with that figure. He probably views you as a child; that's why he gave you that coat."

"I can change my appearance at will," Doppel remarked bluntly.

"So can I." Zombina grinned. "Just need to find the parts."

"But you still need stitching together like Frankenstein's monster." The shapeshifter smirked. "I'm a perfect recreation of whoever I want to be."

"But your real form is terrifying," Zombina paused. "And that's coming from someone who loves gory horror movies."

"Everyone knows it's what's on the inside that counts," Doppel grabbed another slice of pizza, "And all that's inside you is a rotten brain from all that yaoi you read."

"I read them for the heart-wrenching stories first! Hot gay action second," Zombina smirked.

"Zombina-chan…" Tio and Manako.

"Ooh, this is the best part!" Zombina pointed back to the horror movie as the film turned violent, with the murderer catching his next victim. The brutal scenes caused Manako to look away and Tio to scream and grab the nearest thing to hide behind. Unfortunately, this was Manako. The Monoeye was nearly suffocating from Tio's iron grasp and resulting in the girls trying to calm the Ogre down and pry the swirly eyed cyclops free.

Meanwhile, the phone started to ring, the caller ID displaying Smith's name and number, but it went unnoticed as the girls calmed down.

* * *

 **...and that's the end of the seventh chapter!**

 **Now the farm has a new resident and Ms Smith seems to have bitten off more than she can chew. Also, Chichi continues her unfortunate habit of rationalizing and profiling.**

 **Originally, this chapter was going to be the second half of last chapter, but when last chapter started to get a bit long, we decided to find a place to stop and do the rest as this chapter.**

 **Next chapter will be breather before Ms Smith sends for them to come into town the following chapter. I like to do these after a new character is introduced to help lay the dynamic between everyone. They may not be the most interesting ones, but they're important and I try to at least have them be somewhat entertaining. Who knows, maybe we'll also get to see a certain couple of people next chapter as well?**

 **By the way, I've been asked several times as to why I don't commission a picture of Chichi. The main reason is that I'm commissioning pictures so that there's a tangible representation of what they're supposed to look like. While I've looked back and realized this may not be very clear from Drake's initial description of her (it doesn't even mention the hat I alway imagine :P) Chichi is based on Oyakado's design of the Long Leg Arachne, so there's sort of already a picture. This was originally the plan for all the character's based on subspecies, but I really enjoyed redesigning Saboten, so I ended up deciding to do it for all the other ones. Now, I've thought about this for awhile, and I've decided I'm going to put up a poll on my profile after this of if I should redesign Chichi. If the winner is yes, I'll go back and edit the previous chapters to match her new design and commission a picture at some point in the future. If the winner is no, things will continue as is. Please note, the "redesign" will only alter Chichi's appearance, not her personality or actions.**

 **Now, onto the expected questions.**

 **Q: How old is Saboten? She seems to act like a little kid.**

 **A: I'm not going to give away just yet, but she's not the youngest resident of the farm. I'll tell you this though, Naruto and Chichi are 17 and Toph is 19. Kaguya is too old for the exact number to be important. The reason Saboten acts like a kid is because that's how her father taught her to act. It's also the reason her "Lust Berserker" form exists, as it's a manifestation of all her subconsciously suppressed "adult" feelings, which as a Pink Slime she has a lot of.**

 **Q: Why do you capitalize "slime" sometimes but not others?**

 **A: If it's capitalized it's referring to the species and if it's not it's referring to substance itself.**

 **Q: What happened to Saboten's parents?**

 **A: You'll find out in due time. At the very least I can tell you they didn't abandon her.**

 **Q: How was Saboten's mother able to go out in the rain? Shouldn't that be dangerous for her?**

 **A: I made the decision to abandon that rule. Large bodies of water are still dangerous, but rain itself can be dealt with.**

 **Q: Why is Saboten more solid?**

 **A: It's because her father is human. The human dna mixed into her slime allows her to make it more dense at the surface, but she can't easily mold the shape of her body like Suu, her arms being the only part she can readily alter the size and shape of. Taking in matter won't make her bigger, just more dense all the way through. Her "Lust Berserker" form is one driven by her Pink Slime instincts and suppresses the influence of her human dna (aside from her "hair" color).**

 **Q: Why did Manako give Naruto a fake name?**

 **A: She panicked and was too embarrassed to admit it. I came up with the idea because I thought it was fun and would be an interesting way for Manako to get to know Naruto. This isn't the last time Naruto will communicate with "Shino". Speaking of, I'm surprised no one commented on Smith giving Naruto Manako's email a couple chapters ago. I tried to make it fairly obvious it was hers.**

 **Q: Is Naruto not going to heal Toph and Chichi?**

 **A: He will, but they were too distracted by everything at the time and neither of them brought it up to him. It'll probably either happen next chapter or inbetween this one and the next.**

 **Q: What does "Tsuki no Usagi-hime-sama" mean?**

 **A: Princess Moon Bunny. "Tsuki" is moon, "no" is a particle denoting possession, "Usagi" is bunny/rabbit, and "-hime" is a suffix meaning princess. The "sama" is a suffix that denotes a lot of respect and formality, usually something that's automatically added to the name and/or title of nobility or someone of great repute.**

 **Q: Why was Toph's bokken called "bokuto" this chapter?**

 **A: I made a mistake before, thinking it was a bokken. What Toph actually uses is called a bokuto. I'll try to edit the previous chapters at some point to correct this.**

 **See ya next time (which hopefully won't be as long this time :P)!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys and gals, long time no see! It's been awhile in the making, but here's chapter 8. The reason why this took so long is that Breath of the Wild came out shortly after Drake started writing the chapter and that kept us both busy for most of March and shortly after finishing the chapter, Persona 5 came out and kept me from editing for most of April. For May and the first half of this month, I was just procrastinating ^^;**

 **I haven't been completely idle in that time, though. There are 10 new commissions over on my deviantart, Djunk855, including Chichi's potential redesign (more details regarding it and a new poll at the bottom). I know I said I'd slow down to save up for a Switch and Breath of the Wild, but I ended up just getting the Wii U version instead (which I hadn't known was a thing at the time).**

 **Anyhoo, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Naruto took a deep breath, enjoying the early morning air as he leaned against one of the fences separating the fields on the farm. Smith and MON had left after eating their fill and Smith promised to have a pass that would let them go into the city ready by tomorrow morning. Until then, Naruto and Kaguya would have to make do with the clothes they brought with them, sans a jacket in the blonde ninja's case. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the bright pink gelatinous girl who was looking at him with hopeful enthusiasm.

"So," Naruto looked around eagerly. "It's time to get started." He returned his attention to the farmlands. While his clones had removed most of the debris, there was still a lot of weeds and general maintenance to be done.

"Right!" Saboten nodded eagerly. "Let's go!" She cried out as she punched the air, only for the ninja to remain stationary whilst she continued her energetic dance.

"Right!" Naruto paused. "Er… Do you know what I need to do?" He fidgeted awkwardly as the youthful Slime paused in her animated hopping to look at him with a bright smile, her emerald eyes sparkling with passion.

"Of course," Saboten beamed as she rooted around in her jacket. "Papa left strict, detailed instructions on how the farm should look! He never finished it before he went on his long journey, but he left them with me just in case." She opened the coat, frowning slightly as she searched for the elusive plans.

"Detailed instructions?" Naruto sighed in relief. Given his somewhat limited experience of farming, he was glad to have a set of blueprints to work from, "This shouldn't be too hard then."

"Here you go Aniki!" Saboten produced a filthy handkerchief that the Jinchuuriki accepted carefully, holding it by a corner.

' _ **Is this some sort of modern art?'**_ Kurama deadpanned as Naruto tried to decipher the blobs and scrawls on the cloth.

"Er…" Naruto grabbed a corner in each hand and held it up. "Well… It's definitely… er…" Naruto trailed off as he looked at what could charitably be called a plan "So er… What is this spot?" He pointed to a small circle with barely legible handwriting underneath it.

"The rice paddy of course!" Saboten declared proudly. "Papa always said rice is the one true Japanese crop! Plus it makes sake, which all of Papa's friends really liked, and he liked making his friends happy."

"Er…" Naruto looked around at the unploughed fields. "W-well how about this bit here?"

"Ah, that is the hops fields and the potato fields!" Saboten chirped happily. "Papa always wanted to go into brewing. He said something about moonshine. I like moonshine. It's so pretty."

"Ah…" Naruto blinked. "Well, I guess potatoes shouldn't be too hard to grow." He tried to ignore Kurama's chuckles and focused on what vaguely resembled a doodle of a farm.

"That's what Papa always said!" the Pink Slime nodded her head happily, her pseudopod bouncing happily in time with her movements. She moved close to Naruto, joining him in looking at the dirty cloth.

"R-right." Naruto blinked. "What's this skull and crossbones symbol?" He pointed to a small circle with the pirate-like symbol that was located next to a square blob that says 'Forge for forging stuff I guess'.

"That's the compost heap for Papa to put all the dead waste!" Saboten nodded. "He said he was expecting to compost a lot of things that wanted to cause trouble for him." If she understood the implications of what she was saying, her cheerful demeanor hid it completely.

"That sounds… worrying." Naruto laughed awkwardly, although Saboten seemed not to notice.

' _ **He had to get rid of the competition somehow,'**_ Kurama seemed amused by the situation. **'** _ **Let's hope he doesn't mind his daughter living with a stranger or else he might try to put you in there.'**_

"And this?" Naruto pointed to a green stain, while his foxy tenant laughed.

"Ah… That's a boogey," Saboten blinked. "This is also Papa's handkerchief."

"Ah," Naruto handed the dirty cloth back to the girl quickly. "So…" He paused awkwardly, all too aware of Saboten's cheerful gaze locked onto him. "Are there any changes that…"

"No!" Saboten shook her head furiously, causing Naruto to step back, lest her pseudopod hit him, "It has to be just like Papa wanted! He'll be so proud when he gets back home!"

"Right," Naruto bit his lip. "These plans are pretty vague. Maybe your father would be even more proud if you were able to personalize them?" He glanced at the young girl, trying to judge from her expression what she thought of the idea. For her part, Saboten had screwed her face up in thought, which looked more cute than serious to the dimensionally displaced ninja.

"Well, Papa did used to mention things that he never put on the plan…" Saboten tapped her chin. "I wonder if Papa would be alright with me making changes to his super detailed plans." She tilted her head. "Yeah, I think he'd be okay with that, as long as it was me doing it."

"You talk a lot about your father," Naruto chuckled. "But not so much about your mother. What was she like?"

"Mama?" Saboten tilted her head. "Mama is Mama." Her head tilted to one side. "What would you like to know about her?"

"What kind of person was she?" The blonde ninja smiled at the smaller Slime, who leaned against a fence as she thought.

"Mama is super kind and huggy. She used to hug Papa a lot when they were here." Saboten stared off at the forest distantly. "She was so pretty and gloopy!"

"Gloopy?" Naruto blinked.

"Uh huh!" Saboten hopped around, her arms behind her back, "Like when Papa put his clothes on her, they just sunk through her. Mama said she was jealous of my visc... visco… hardness." She blinked. "She was always leaving pink trails around!" The young-looking Slime giggled. "Papa would slip on her trail, and then she would pounce and hug him!" She mimed diving on top of someone and hugging.

"It sounds like your parents loved each other," Naruto smiled. "I'll bet they were good people."

"Papa is the coolest!" Saboten declared. "Mama is a close second and Aniki is third." She turned to face Naruto with a wide smile.

"Thanks," Naruto rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face. "So, you mentioned your mother was a Pink Slime like you?"

"Yup!" Saboten nodded as she turned her attention back to the farm. "She was such a beautiful pink color… At least she was most of the time." She paused in her thoughts. "I was kind of jealous that Mama could do that."

"Oh, she changed color?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. _'I wonder if all Slimes are like that?'_

"Uh-huh!" Saboten frowned. "The morning after a full moon she was always a much lighter pink, almost like a milkier color. I think she was allergic to the full moon like Papa because he was always really pale and tired the day after a full moon too!"

' _ **Oh… I guess if they absorb too much of a certain fluid they can change color.'**_ Naruto could practically feel the wide grin on the beast that lived inside of him.

Naruto found himself unable to look at the innocent girl and tried his best to ignore the booming laugh of the Bijuu in his head. "Y-yeah." He laughed weakly.

"Say, what's Aniki's family like?" The young girl leaned towards Naruto and tilted her head.

"My family," Naruto sighed sadly as he recalled his parents from their brief interactions and the stories he had heard about his father while growing up. "My dad was the leader of my home… People always talked about how he was an amazing and powerful ninja and how he was able to defeat the great threat that nearly destroyed our village."

' _ **I'll take that as a compliment.'**_

"He died in the attempt," Naruto looked down. "As did my mother. I'm told she was just like me and… and they both loved me very much." He smiled sadly, remembering the look of pride on his father's face when they had fought Madara and the Ten-Tails together.

"Oh no Saboten! You made Aniki sad! What would Papa do? Hm… Papa said he used to choke the chicken when he felt stressed, but Mama hit him for saying that… Besides, where am I going to find a chicken around here?" The Slime had hunched over with her back to Naruto, muttering loudly enough that she could have achieved the same effect by talking normally. She started to poke her index fingers together and rock backwards and forwards as she wracked her brains for a way to cheer up her Aniki.

While she rocked, Naruto just watched her unsure what to do. Before he could think of something to say, Saboten suddenly leapt to her feet and pointed to the sky victoriously.

"Ah, I got it!" She suddenly spun around and dived at Naruto, hugging his arm to her modest chest before chanting "Sadness go away! Don't come back you're not welcome here!" In a sing-song sort of voice. On seeing his confused expression, she decided to up her game and transformed an arm into a tentacle and started to ruffle his hair.

"I'm okay. Thanks, that um...really cheered me up." The blonde ninja chuckled as the Pink Slime released him looking victorious.

"That's what Mama did to me when I got sad… Oh no I mentioned my parents!" She crouched with her back to the bemused ninja again. "Stupid Saboten." She started poking at the dirt with her fingers.

"I'm fine, honestly. You cheered me up," Naruto assured her with a smile.

"R-really?" She turned around, her eyes sparkling.

"Really," Naruto nodded and stroked the top of her head in a hair ruffling motion, causing the girl to beam happily again. "Now, what do you say we get to work on making our improved plans for the farm."

"I don't know…" Saboten looked uncertain. "I don't want to ruin Papa's dream."

"I'm sure so long as you put your heart into it, he'll love it," Naruto nodded sagely. "At least, if he's half the man you think he is."

"Papa is a hundred times the man I think he is!" Saboten cheered and started to quote larger numbers while Naruto watched her antics, slowly shaking his head at the girl's liveliness.

"I think we have some paper in the house. Why don't you go get it for me?" The career Genin chuckled as Saboten took off sprinting happily. "Man, she's a real bundle of energy, huh?"

* * *

 _At the Farmhouse_

Chichi yawned as she walked out her room and down the hallway. After breakfast, she had decided to do some light reading, only to find the police training manual she was looking for wasn't on her desk. She had tried searching her room, but had been unable to find it. As such, she had given up on finding it for the time being and decided to get to work cleaning the house. While Handler-san could use his clones to clean the entire building, Chichi felt it unfair to exploit him like that. Besides, it would be some gentle exercise to help her wake up properly. Naruto had kindly healed her aching ribs, but the healing came with a sense of exhaustion that was hard to shake.

As she approached her housemates rooms, she moved to try and wake them before deciding against it. Kaguya was liable to be in a foul mood after the events of yesterday and Toph… Well, the toad-type had been in a strange mood ever since meeting the young Slime.

Chichi let out a sigh as she recalled the innocent little girl. As an only child, the Arachne had always wanted a younger sibling to dote on, but her parents had seemed content with just herself. Still, she had longed for someone to count on and look up to her as a big sister. That desire had just about become nothing but a distant memory, at least until Saboten's cheery smile graced the household and reignited it. Unfortunately, it appeared the young girl had been led astray, and it was up to Chichi to save Saboten from a life of being Toph's underling.

She shook her head of such a horrible thought and walked downstairs into the main living room. Most of the windows were still barricaded, and the room was in a state of disarray. In the middle, a frowning Saboten looked around nervously.

"Good morning Saboten-chan," Chichi smiled, putting on her best 'talking to young children' face. "How are you today?"

"I'm feeling pretty good! Thanks for asking minion of the fascist regime!" Saboten chirped happily, oblivious to Chichi's flinch. "How are you?"

"I'm well. What're you doing?" The Long-Leg Type walked over to a window and began to remove the planks from the windows. Despite the effort that she and Toph had put into barricading the house, it hadn't been enough to stop their assailant. Chichi still struggled to believe that the cute, little Saboten was the same creature responsible for the attack, regardless of what the evidence might suggest.

"Aniki asked me to find some paper but…" She looked worried. "I don't know where it could be. I don't want to let Aniki down!" The girl looked so downfallen Chichi had to fight the urge to envelop her in a hug.

"Let me help you," Chichi offered. "It is the duty of the police to help out people, not hurt them. We have some storage rooms upstairs; Maybe there's some paper in one of those?"

"Okay!" Saboten beamed. "You're kind of like that one police officer Papa said was okay!"

"Really?" Chichi brightened up.

"Yeah, Papa used to give him gifts, and because they were such good friends, the officer would tell Papa lots of neat things like when the evil coppers were going to pay him a visit so he could get all cleaned up to meet them." Saboten continued.

"I… I think he was a corrupt officer taking bribes." Chichi frowned. "Which is a crime."

"Really?" Saboten tilted her head. "So according to the police, it is a crime to be a friendly person?"

"N-No!" The Arachne waved her hands wildly.

"Papa was right. The police are real meanies!" Saboten declared as she headed to the rooms Chichi had mentioned, while the long-legged Arachne just stared into space, her eyes dull. "Maybe Toph-nee san can help me!"

* * *

 _Toph's Room_

A single ray of light shone through the barricaded window of the toad-type's room, showing the piles of clothes and discarded junk that were as much a feature of her room as the carpets and bed. Atop of one such pile, Narf stood on his hind legs noting with some concern that his mistress had been laid face down for some time.

Hopping across the piles of clothes, he clambered onto the bed where a mostly naked Toph lay motionless. Her bindings were the only thing she was wearing, and even they were half unwound as if the girl had started getting undressed before just giving up and going to sleep. Narf ran along the bed, pausing beside her head and nudging the Bullywug, who grunted and turned to face him.

"What is it Narf? What do ya want?" She grumbled.

The rat merely twitched its nose.

"If you're hungry, just get something to eat," Toph frowned. "I'm deep in thought, ya hear?"

Narf tilted his head.

"It's just… that little girl ya know?" Toph rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "She… reminds me of someone alright?"

In response, Narf simply curled up on the pillow next to her head.

"It seems like a lifetime ago…" Toph closed her eyes. She could still remember the smells of the small swamp where she lived. She started to drift off into a daydream and…

* * *

 _Toph's Flashback_

"I'm fed up with waiting already!" A much younger Toph snorted as she sat down in the middle of a swamp. She wore only bindings across her chest as well as some trousers slightly too big for her and held around her waist with what looked like some sort of vines, which were in plentiful supply around her. Her hair was it's natural dark brown and while still in a ponytail, it only extended a few inches outside of it's cloth strip hair tie.

She kicked her legs impatiently as she sat on a stump next to a large tree with several deep gashes across it, one of the few landmarks in this swamp and the meeting point the Boss always told them to use. It was said that each gash was made by a new boss.

Her gang called the tree Old Oakey, although it wasn't an oak. However, the boss said it was, and no one dared to correct the Boss. Well no one except her, Toph thought proudly. The boss recognized her skill and general refusal to give up and had even said that one day Toph might be able to challenge her for the gang. Just the thought of it made her grin. She'd be allowed to have the official hairstyle of the boss! She'd have her very own slash on Old Oakey! Maybe she'd even cut it so deep that the massive tree would be torn straight in half!

She kicked herself off the stump and picked up her bokuto, taking a few experimental stabs, fighting against imaginary foes and diving around the area, imagining herself with the boss's hairstyle smiting stupid Frog-Type Bullywugs and being awesome.

"Wow… Onee-sama is so cool!" A chirpy young voice interrupted her workout.

"Who the hell's there?!" Toph paused.

"Me!" Forward plodded a younger toad-type. She had a black cap on far too big for her small head as well as an equally oversized jacket looking like a student's coat, although thanks to its size on the small girl it was more of a cape, trailing across the floor. The coat's arms were almost double the length they needed to be, leaving the sleeves dangling. Her trousers were clearly an old hemp sack just cut and stitched into trousers with some vines holding them around her waist and much like Toph; she was barefoot with her webbed feet on display. She tried to salute but ended up clumsily smacking herself in the face with the sleeve of the coat.

"Ya took your sweet time arriving didn't ya? The boss said you'd be here ages ago!" The future farm resident crossed her arms angrily.

"S-sorry Onee-sama!" The smaller girl bowed, causing her hat to fall off. In her attempt to catch it, she tripped over her coat and fell face first on the floor. "Ouchie…"

"Geez, it'd be a mercy to kill ya right now. That's the only mercy ya can give to the weak, after all. Still, the old lady said ya were gonna be worth the effort, so…" Toph drew herself up to her full height as the girl put her hat on and stood up, rubbing her nose. "Ya wanna be one o' the best in our gang eh?" She leant forward at the younger Bullywug who nodded furiously, causing her cap to fall over her eyes.

"That's right. Sukeban-boss-sama said to report to you!" The small girl attempted another salute, with marginally more success.

"Well," Toph smirked. "I am Sukeban-sama's right-hand toad." She rested her bokuto on her shoulder and crouched down. "Ya gonna go far with me. Who knows? When I become the boss… ya might even be _my_ right-hand toad."

"Of course,!" The smaller Bullywug vibrated with excitement. "I'll be as strong as Onee-sama!"

"Hehehe," Toph rubbed her nose. "Just listen to me, and you'll go far!"

"Hai Onee-sama! I'll always listen to you!"

Suddenly, the scene started to distort, and a cacophony of thumping sounds started to rise, as if a large group were softly hitting the moist ground with sticks in a rhythmless beat. Her vision was blurry, but she was vaguely aware of the many figures surrounding her, and one figure in particular right in front of her, a giddy smile on it's face. She was sat down with her back against Old Oakey, the pale moonlight casting long shadows of the distorted figures around her, and the one in front of her stepped forward slowly, a bloody bokuto in hand.

"I don't understand…" Toph's voice was strained as she struggled to stand, trying to use the cuts in the tree as hand holds but unable to find the strength to lift herself. The world was spinning around, and she couldn't remember where she was.

"Because Onee-sama… This is the only mercy you can give to the weak…" There was a sudden crash, and the dream ended.

* * *

 _End Flashback_

Toph eyes rocketed open, and she sat up breathing heavily and received a worried look from her pet rat before she settled back down. She could still hear the rhythmic thumping from her dream. It was then she noticed her door shaking, like someone was trying to repeatedly pull it further closed than it already was.

"What the hell?" She growled as she rolled out of bed, yelping and muttering curses as she landed on her wounded ankle.

"Someone's gonna get a hiding for this." She tossed her clothes on, watched by a curious Narf. When she threw open the door, she had planned to yell at the person responsible, but on seeing Chichi carrying a vacuum and looking sheepish, she decided to hold back on her rant.

"Oh um...sorry. Did I wake you?" She gestured to the vacuum cleaner. "I got the cord caught around a door handle and it…"

"What the hell are ya doing?" Toph pointed at her. "I was trying to catch up on my sleep."

"Cleaning the house," the Arachne remarked. "Unlike some people, I don't like living in a squalor." She cast a pointed look at the wasteland that was Toph's bedroom, causing to the toad-type to narrow her eyes and pull the door to hide Chichi's view of the room.

"Ya gotta problem with how I live?" The Bullywug crossed her arms. "My room is perfectly fine for me, and the Boss doesn't have a problem with it. In fact, only you do. Maybe it's you that has the problem."

"But how can you find anything in that pig sty?" Chichi pointed to the room. "I'm pretty sure that living like that can't be good for you. I'm also fairly certain that it's violation of several health laws such as…"

"It ain't a pig sty! It's… er… organized chaos!" The delinquent amphibian defended herself.

"Organized chaos?" If Chichi was annoyed by being cut off, she gave no indication of it. "How can you find anything in there?"

"Well, I use the Narf system." Toph declared proudly.

"The… what?" Chichi frowned as she tried to think of what the acronym could mean.

"Narf! Bring me that book I was reading will ya?" Toph called over her shoulder, pushing the door open slightly so that her rat could get in and out.

"Narf...you don't mean that rat from the other day?!" Chichi's six eyes widened when she saw the rat in question dragging a book along in its teeth. It pulled the book to Toph's feet and squeaked noisily until Toph tossed a piece of her breakfast out of her jacket pocket at the rat, who picked it up and headed back into the room.

"See?" She picked the book up, grinning smugly.

"Did… Did you train that rat?" Chichi was torn between being impressed Toph had trained a rat to such a degree and reprimanding her for letting it roam free. Who knows what kind trouble it could cause?Trying to move on, she tried not to think of the many regulations that Toph was probably breaking.

"Useful, ain't he?" Toph waved the book. "So ya can stop judging me now."

"Wait a minute," Chichi snatched the book and rubbed the strange stains from the cover. "This is my police training manual! I was looking for this earlier." She paused. "Wait a second… Were you reading my book? Does this mean… You're starting to think of becoming a police officer too?" Her eyes lit up. "Have I been a good influence and shown you how much better it would be to be a respectable member of society rather than a deadbeat dropout?" Chichi's many eyes seemed to shine with hope, although it didn't last long.

"Like hell ya have. I needed something funny to read." Toph snorted. "Like get this, there was this bit about a hostage situation, and it said ya should talk with the criminal!" She let out a howl of laughter. "Yeah… 'cause that'll work. Ya gotta go in all guns blazing like a loose cannon! And there was this bit about de-escalating a conflict. Why'd ya wanna do that? There's nothing like a good brawl!"

"I suppose it was too much to hope you'd seen the light," Chichi mentally chastised herself. "Still, I would appreciate if you would ask before taking my things. Stealing from a fellow exchange student is a punishable offence as outlined in Article…"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll ask your fat-ass next time I wanna steal something from ya." The delinquent rolled her eyes and slammed the door in Chichi's face who merely shook her head, already having gotten used to the rowdy girl's behavior.

"My abdomen is perfectly normal sized!" Chichi she called through the door before taking a deep breath and returning to work cleaning the house. "At least one of Handler-san's guests should try and help him out." She glanced at the door to a certain former goddess. "And I doubt Kaguya-san is going to do much."

* * *

 _Kaguya's Room_

"Look at him." Kaguya frowned as she stared out of her window at Naruto on the farm. Currently, he had his army of clones running around and pulling up weeds while a cheerful Saboten scribbled on some paper next to a fence. The Naruto she assumed to be the real one was laid down on the grass next to her. "Dropping his guard around her. Is he truly so foolish as to let that pile of gloop so close after what it did last night?"

On her neatly made bed, Usagi twitched its ears and watched as she stared out of the window, which Kaguya took as its response, glancing over her shoulder at the small creature with a pained expression.

"I know he spared me, but I am a completely different case," Kaguya scowled at the rabbit. "I am unable to challenge him in my current state." She frowned as she glanced at the empty kimono sleeve hanging loose. Her missing arm was a constant reminder of her loss, yet it was one that she would have to deal with. Without her powers, she wasn't going to be regenerating it anytime soon, and she refused to allow Naruto to use that healing power. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled the warm sensations that his power invoked in her. "A-anyway, without my powers I pose little threat to him and others and out of all of the… guests I am unfortunately the weakest physically. I am unable to defend myself against the threats of this strange world, and the other residents are more likely to be the cause of my suffering rather than my salvation."

Usagi's nose twitched as it stretched out on the pillow and there was a bang from outside followed by Toph's angry voice. If Kaguya noticed this, she showed no signs, choosing to focus on her own problems. In her defence, "loud and angry" was Toph's normal tone, so it wasn't alarming to the former Goddess.

"Taking all this into account, allowing a potential threat to get this close to me is unacceptable. If our roles were reversed… Well… I probably would have killed the idiot servant the instant we arrived here and then simply gone back home." She paused, trying to ignore the pang of guilt she felt at casually talking about killing Naruto, but found herself unable to shake the unsettling feeling.

Sensing Kaguya's turmoil, Usagi leapt from the bed then hopped towards the former goddess, who kneeled to stroke the fluffy mammal's ears. She crouched there for a good few minutes, feeling the soft fur beneath her fingers as Usagi leaned into her hand.

"Still, there is no sense in trying to reason with him." Kaguya let out a soft, almost fond sigh. "Clearly critical thinking is not his strong point. It just makes it all the more maddening that he defeated me. I suppose even a Goddess can be defeated if the right conditions are met." She paused as an idea formed in her head. "I wonder if the Slime has any weaknesses that I could exploit even in my current state? The vulgar spider mentioned something about goggles that answer questions on some sort of web. Perhaps I will find the answer to my questions there." She smiled as she glanced at the rabbit. "I swear from this moment on, I shall be prepared for whatever this strange world throws at me!"

There was a sudden noise from outside that Kaguya had never heard before. It sounded like some sort of feral monster roaring, and she leapt backwards from the door fighting back a cry of alarm, before remembering herself and glared at the rabbit. "It is fortunate you do not speak. My reputation is safe." She opened the door as confidently as she could and paused at the site of Chichi holding a strange contraption.

"Oh, sorry Kaguya-san," Chichi turned the vacuum off with one of her many legs. "Were you sleeping?"

"Only layabouts and good-for-nothings stay in bed this late." Kaguya declared, appearing upset that Chichi would even suggest that she would compose herself in such a manner.

"It's like eleven in the morning!" Toph yelled from her room. "Some of us need our sleep, damn it!"

"Point proven," The former goddess had a slight smile as Chichi shook her head. "What was that infernal noise?"

"You mean the vacuum cleaner?" Chichi gestured to the strange device next to her. "Didn't you have these where you come from?"

"What purpose does it serve?" Kaguya regarded the strange machine suspiciously as if expecting it to attack her at any moment.

"It's used to clean up," Chichi explained briefly, "It sucks up dust and dirt to keep everything clean."

"Then why are you using it?" The former goddess looked at the Arachne with a look of mild confusion. "I would have thought that a filthy house would better suit your people."

"My… people?" Chichi opened and shut her mouth several times, not sure how to react to her words.

"Well yes, you are part spider, are you not?" The former goddess raised an eyebrow quizzically. "You eat insects and the likes?"

"Oh," Chichi sighed as she realized what Kaguya was implying, "I may be an Arachne, but I'm also just like any other girl. I like to live in a clean house." She paused as she glanced at Toph's door, "Unlike someone who I could care to mention."

"Fight me!" Toph yelled from her room.

"That would be a violation of Article…" Chichi started to explain only for the indignant toad to interrupt her as usual.

"Bah! Excuses!" The toad-type scoffed from the other side of the door.

"How surprising," Kaguya tapped her chin thoughtfully. She looked the Arachne up and down, noting that her clothes were crease free and looked well maintained, unlike Kaguya's frayed Kimono, which needed some repairs. "I never expected such a civilized point of view from you."

"Is it really that shocking?" Chichi frowned slightly. "I thought my appearance made it clear that I look after myself. I keep my hair tidy, and I polish my chitin regularly." She glanced at her hands, which glinted in the light.

On closer inspection, the former goddess could tell that they had been looked after, being both incredibly sharp and clean. She suddenly felt self-conscious as she noted the dirt under her fingernails as well as the fact they had grown uncomfortably long for her. Even the Arachne's hair was well maintained while the hair of the bunny goddess was fraught with split ends and in need of a good cut. Realizing this, she subconsciously started to run her sole hand through her long white locks.

"To think my hair and nails have fallen into such states that even a vulgar spider can look better than me," Kaguya let out a sigh. "Perhaps I should learn to care for my hair," she mumbled as she twirled a lock around her finger, noting the split ends.

"You don't know how to look it yourself?" Chichi sounded surprised. "Given how nice it looked, I had assumed that you would."

"Thank you," the former goddess felt a bit of her pride return at Chichi's compliment. "I used to have people to do it for me," Kaguya admitted, "Beyond combing my hair, I never _had_ to look after it. I only started washing it myself after the idiot servant got us stranded in this world."

"I could help you out," Chichi saw the opportunity to bond with Kaguya and took it, noting the latter's distressed expression. "I cut and style my hair," Her voice had a clear edge of pride to it.

Kaguya didn't immediately reply, instead staring into space. After what felt like an age to Chichi, Kaguya finally shook her head.

"While I appreciate that you appear to have the beginning of what could be called skill at maintaining hair, I am afraid my hair requires a great deal of skill to return to its true splendor." Kaguya nodded her head respectfully. "I am… thankful for the offer, however."

"Don't mention it," Chichi smiled. "After all, since we're all members of the Exchange Program, it's only natural to help each other out, right? We're all from different walks of life, here to learn how to live in this new situation."

"That is somewhat true," Kaguya conceded. "Although I doubt the bandit toad shares your opinion."

"Ha! It's every toad for themselves ya hear?" Toph snorted from the other side of the door.

"It'd be easier for you to talk with us if you'd just open the door," Chichi sighed. "It's clear you want to be a part of our chat."

"Like hell I do! You're just talking far too loud for me to sleep." The door swung open, and a now fully dressed Toph stood arms crossed in her doorway. She adjusted her cap before limping out of the room. "I might as well get something to eat. You're clearly not gonna let me get a wink of sleep."

"One moment please," Kaguya cleared her throat. "It appears that I have been misjudging the vulgar spider…"

"You could call me by my name," Chichi prompted, an almost hopeful look on her face.

Kaguya didn't respond immediately. Instead, she turned to face Chichi with an aghast expression. "You would expect me to say such… such a vulgar term?" Her look of genuine horror was so great that for a moment, Chichi almost felt guilty about suggesting it. Eventually, the goddess shook her head, "No. I am afraid that would be a betrayal of my bloodline to spout such… vulgarity." Kaguya looked away with a faint dusting of red on her otherwise hauntingly pale skin.

"Ya could just call her spider pig," Toph shrugged dismissively as she leant against the doorway, putting her hands in the pockets of her trousers. "Or fat ass copper."

"Getting back to the topic at hand," Kaguya coughed genteelly, "I was curious, do you actually work at looking as uncouth as you do?"

"Well of course," Toph puffed out her chest, "Ya don't look this awesome by accident. Ya don't wanna know what I had to do to get this outfit together, I gotta warn ya, it was pretty violent." She cracked her knuckles as she turned her head away with a serious expression on her face.

"I'm guessing she stole it from a human washing line," Chichi remarked dryly, not noticing Toph's change in demeanor.

"I earned these clothes. Spilt blood to get 'em." The smaller Liminal clenched her fists as if recalling a past fight. "They're a reminder of… actually, you know what. Ya wouldn't care anyway."

"Was like your heroic escape from Agent Smith when she was bringing you here?" Chichi smiled sweetly. "And every fight you've ever attempted to have with Tio-san?"

"Fight me!" Toph snapped as she pointed her bokuto at the Arachne who merely shook her head.

"Getting back to your appearance, is the smell intentional?" Kaguya wrinkled her nose, "Did you decide that smelling like a rubbish heap was a part of being a delinquent?"

"Smellin' like a…" Toph sniffed at her armpits before returning her attention to Kaguya, who was somewhat amused by the toad-types antics. "I'll have ya know I bathe once a week!"

"If I lived in that landfill you call a room, I'd need a shower every time I stepped outside it." The long-legged Arachne shivered at the thought.

"Ya just jealous of my natural musk," Toph declared proudly before limping past her two housemates.

"Where're you going?" The Arachne glanced at the injured toad, who stopped and leant on her wooden sword for support before looking over her shoulder with a scowl.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm gonna go for a wander 'round. I gotta make sure nobody is encroaching on my turf." Toph continued limping away.

"Remember, you cannot stray too far from Handler-san as stated by Article 21-D subsection…"

"Ah, bite me ya pig," Toph grunted. "Ya can shove the rules up your fat ass. God knows ya got plenty of room for 'em up there."

"I am a perfectly healthy size for my age and species!" Chichi blushed slightly. "Kaguya-san?"

The aforementioned lady had walked past Chichi, following the toad. "There is little for me to do, so I might as well overseer my servant's work." She paused. "If you wish to join me I would not be completely averse to the idea."

Chichi was physically shocked at Kaguya's offer. _'It must be my hard work paying off! The training manual on dealing with difficult civilians was right!'_ "Sure." She happily scurried alongside Kaguya.

' _That is fortunate.'_ Kaguya smiled to herself. _'Should the slime attack, the vulgar spider may assist in my chances of survival... and I suppose she is not entirely unpleasant to spend time around either.'_

* * *

 _Back to the Fields_

"So… What're you drawing?" Naruto crouched down next the enthusiastically scribbling Saboten.

"I'm not drawing, I'm planning!" Saboten pouted cutely, earning a ruffle of her head slime by Naruto. "I'm trying to remember all the cool things Papa wanted to put on the farm. I remember he wanted a big meadow for Mama because she liked pretty flowers. They taste real good!"

"Oh?" Naruto smiled, "So do you eat plants as well?"

"I can eat anything since my body just breaks it down!" Saboten proudly declared. "Papa said I was such a good girl for not being a picky eater." She beamed at Naruto before returning her attention to the sheet of paper that she was drawing on.

In Naruto's opinion, it was less of a plan and more of a fantasy drawing, as he was pretty sure that a farm didn't need a moat and battlements to keep out 'nosy coppers and rival farmers'. Still, as the young girl doodled away, laid on her front and lazily waving her feet, Naruto felt happy. There was something about the scene that lifted his spirits. In the pleasant weather, he started to feel tired and decided to have a quick rest to refresh himself.

"I'm going to have a bit of nap okay?" Naruto glanced at Saboten who nodded energetically before returning to her doodling. The blonde ninja laid back on the grass, enjoying the gentle breeze and the rhythmic noises as his clones got to work weeding and repairing some of the barns that had yet to be looked at in any detail. He closed his eyes and allowed his senses to wander, taking the moment of quiet just to relax. As his clones finished up the weeding and started to dispel themselves one by one, he started to drift into a state of semi-consciousness.

Suddenly he was stirred from his relaxed state by a chill, as if someone had stood between him and the sunlight he had been soaking in. "Is something the matter Saboten?" He opened an eye before realizing Saboten was in the same place as before, looking behind him with fear in her eyes. He slowly stood up, making sure he kept his back to whatever was causing the shadow, so it didn't attack. From what he could see the figure behind him was clearly a giant, with what appeared to be a scythe in its hands.

"On no… It's true…" Saboten started to shiver, "Papa said if I was a bad girl a big monster would come and take me away, but I stayed up late last night… I'm so sorry Papa!" She whimpered, her entire body quivering like jelly as she started to step away from the shadow. The look of horror on the young girl's face was enough to make Naruto leap into action.

Before anyone could even blink, he had spun around and launched himself at the newcomer, who tried to use the scythe to block. Given his ninja training, Naruto easily slipped by the clumsy attempt at a guard and grasped the overalls of the blue skinned intruder, using his chakra to supplement his strength and lift the giant up before throwing him across the floor. The assailant rolled around, dropping his scythe and struggled to his knees before bowing, his head on the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" He cried out in alarm.

"Eh?!" Naruto blinked while Saboten watched on, stars in her eyes at how cool her Aniki was.

"Please have mercy!" The giant repeatedly bowed his head, probably doing more damage to himself as his head hit the dirt than what Naruto had done with the throw. The blonde ninja was getting a headache just watching the giant.

Before Naruto could think of a response, his instincts told him to jump back, which he did just in time to see a brunette blur fly past him and strike the prostrating giant, sending them both scuttling across the floor. When the dust settled, Naruto found himself staring at a brunette wearing dirty overalls. Her muscular build showed she was no stranger to hard work and after recovering her bearings, she gave Naruto a hard glare.

"Hey? What's the big idea? Don't go picking on Fremont!" The girl had a thick country accent.

"Fremont? You mean the big blue guy you're sitting on?" Naruto gestured to the giant who had gone silent, although the fact that after the collision, the girl was straddling his face may have had something to do with that.

"Ah crap!" The girl leapt off of him, "Sorry 'bout that big fella. You alright?"

"I-I'm fine. Thank you, Jackie," Fremont mumbled, a thick blush on his face.

"I guess your name's Jackie, then?" Naruto gestured to the girl, who nodded fiercely.

"Damn straight I am," She smirked. "The name's Jackie Shuukaku, best dern farmer for at least fifty miles."

"Shuukaku…" Saboten frowned. "That's the name of the man who owns the farm next to this one. I remember Papa mentioning him! Wait… She's here to spy on Papa's farm!" Saboten pointed at her plan. "This is why Papa wanted walls and a moat!" She declared, flailing her arms wildly.

"Walls and a moat?" Jackie snorted with laughter, "That does sound like something the guy who used to run this farm would want. I remember he did always seem to dream big. I'm the daughter of the guy who used to run Shuukaku farm. Pleased to meetcha."

"Um...not to sound rude, but could you explain why you're here?" Naruto asked.

"Well, the spider-gal and the toad-punk said ya could use some help getting your farm up and running so I figured me and the big boy here would come and give ya some tips. Well, until ya went and threw him like a sack of potatoes anyway." Jackie frowned slightly and crossed her arms. "I don't appreciate that, ya hear?"

"Why did he sneak up and not say anything? Saboten-chan here was terrified!" Naruto challenged.

"I… You see…" Fremont looked away. "I'm sorry!" He fell back into the prostrating position, "I'm not the best at dealing with new people. I was trying to work up the courage to say hello!"

"Get on ya feet ya big softy," Jackie sighed as she watched the blue giant struggle to his feet.

"Oh. sorry," Naruto rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "I've heard bad stories about people with scythes back where I come from. Anyway, my name is Naruto, and this is Saboten, the daughter of this farm's owner."

"Hi!" Saboten waved cheerily. "Papa always said your papa was a bit of a rube, but a nice guy."

"R-rube?" Jackie blinked. "This kid is pretty blunt, ain't she?"

"Eh?" Saboten tilted her head in a cute manner. "Is rube a mean word? Papa said it meant someone who lived away from the city. Ah… I guess that means we're all rubes." The girl beamed cutely, earning a soft chuckle from Naruto and Jackie.

"Well ain't you the cutest little… er…" Jackie tilted her head, "Sorry but I reckon I've never seen a Liminal like you before?"

"Liminal?" Saboten tilted her head. "I"m a Pink Slime like mama!"

"Pink Slime?" Jackie glanced at Fremont who merely shrugged. "Well nice to meet ya lil' Sabby-chan. We farmer's daughters should stick together!"

"Right!" Saboten beamed before turning to Naruto for confirmation, "Is that okay Aniki?"

"That's fine by me," Naruto shook his head with a wry smile as Saboten cheered and ran up to Jackie, bombarding her with questions. Jackie was unable to get a word in edgewise until Naruto cleared his throat.

"So...you said you were here to help me out?" Naruto ruffled Saboten's head slime when she pouted at him for interrupting her.

"Eeyup," Jackie nodded. "So… Whatcha ya know about farming?"

"You grow crops and raise animals," Naruto nodded.

"And rice!" Saboten chimed in, "Then you make it into Sake and give it to your friends!"

"I get the feeling I might've bitten off more than I can chew," Jackie chuckled as she took in the farm. "Ya got to work weeding the place though, so at least ya can do that."

"So! Trying to invade my turf, are ya?!" A boisterous Toph yelled as she limped over towards them. "I'll have to show ya why ya don't mess with me!"

"Oh, hey Toph," Naruto glanced at the toad-type. "You know, I can heal that ankle if you want me to."

"Feh!" Toph spat on the floor. "A little injury like this ain't gonna stop me!" Despite her bravado, it was clear her ankle was causing her some discomfort as she stabbed the bokuto into the floor then leaned on it to try and take the weight off of her wounded ankle.

"Plus, it gives her an excuse to use whenever she fails," Chichi added cheerfully as she and Kaguya joined the group.

"As the lady of this land, I welcome you," Kaguya bowed her head softly. "Please forgive the others they are…" She paused as she regarded Toph, "A work in progress, you might say."

"Fight me!" Toph challenged before an icy glare caused her to look away and mumble under her breath how lucky Kaguya was that she had plans today so couldn't kick the bunny goddess' backside.

"Well, the name's Jackie and this here is Fremont. Say hi big boy." She glanced at the troll who was trying to cower behind the much smaller girl. "It's a pleasure to meet ya," She offered a hand to Kaguya, who frowned before lightly gripping the cleanest finger and shaking it. "Ha! Your a barrel of laughs!" Jackie snorted.

"I am Kaguya, the lady of these lands. I am assuming by your… dialect that you are a local. If you require something from me, request if from my servant," Kaguya paused. "You seem acquainted with him and the other… guests at the house so I shall not waste your time with introductions. May I inquire as to your purpose on my lands?"

"If ya wanna take the farm I'll take you all on!" Toph added her two cents. "You'd better be ready for an ass kicking like no other!" She posed proudly, Saboten gazing at her in admiration much to Chichi's displeasure.

"Jackie has kindly offered to teach me a few things to help us start up the farm," The Arachne shook her head as the toad-type started stretching out as if getting ready to fight, with Saboten looking just as pumped up as the toad-type herself.

"Yeah, though I wasn't really expecting ya to be so… inexperienced and for the farm to be in such a state." Jackie laughed weakly. "Don't get me wrong, the living area is pretty nice, but the actual farm needs some love."

"Unfortunately, the servant's repairs were quick fixes with limited materials. I expect him to remedy this in due time." Kaguya gestured to Naruto who was shaking his head at Toph and Saboten's antics.

"By himself?" Jackie gestured to the farm. "This is a pretty large area. Even Fremont here would need help to work all this land and get everything up and running. Ya'll need an army or something."

"You called?" Naruto smirked as he summoned another wave of clones.

"Wha…" Jackie blinked as she walked up and poked one of the clones. "I… Are you a Liminal as well?" She glanced at Naruto who shook his head.

"Nope, 100% human!" Naruto proudly announced as the summoned clones spread out to work on the farm.

"Well," Jackie grinned, "I'll guess that means ya might have a chance of getting this place up and running. Fremont here can help ya with the heavy lifting. He's a pretty tough fella," She playfully punched the giant who blushed and looked away.

"He doesn't look so strong," Toph boasted. "I could take him on!"

"W-well…" Fremont started twiddling his fingers while resting the scythe against his body. "I wouldn't want to… I mean I could hurt you…" He kept mumbling as Toph tried to goad him into a fight.

"Tell ya what," Jackie rolled up her sleeves, revealing well-developed arms. "I'll challenge ya to an arm wrestle."

"Ya wanna rumble with me?" Toph took her jacket off. "Your funeral!"

"Er… I don't think you should," Fremont looked at Jackie nervously. "You might get hurt, and if something should happen to you I don't know what I'd do…"

"It's just a friendly arm wrestle," Jackie laughed as she slapped the troll on the back. "Quit your worrying!" She walked over to a tree stump, with Toph taking her position at the opposite side, and the two got ready to wrestle, watched over by a worried Fremont and bemused Naruto, who was ready to step in should it be required.

"On the count of three?" Jackie grinned as she locked hands with Toph.

"Sure," The toad-type grinned. "I'll even let ya count down. It won't do ya any good, though. You're gonna lose!"

Naruto watched as the match begun. While Toph could take a good game, most of her strength came from her legs and leaping attacks. She had a bit of strength in her arms, but no more than say a Genin from his village. Admittedly that did put her above a normal human. Jackie, on the other hand, appeared better built for such a contest. The hard life of a farmer had built her strength to impressive levels.

After five minutes, the two contestants were starting to get fatigued, and Chichi was getting increasingly worried that Toph would hurt Jackie, but it appeared her fears were in vain as the human girl released her grip with a tired sigh.

"Damn, you're too strong for me," Jackie laughed. "That was pretty intense."

"Ha! Another bows before the almighty Toph-sama!" The toad-type posed victoriously, much to Naruto's amusement. She started bowing to an imaginary crowd and picking up an imaginary trophy, making the peace sign at the other Liminals. "I figured I'd take it easy on ya so I didn't hurt ya."

"Such a sore winner," Chichi shook her head.

"That was awesome Onee-sama!" Saboten cheered, unaware of the flinch from Toph who merely grunted a quiet thanks before falling uncharacteristically quiet.

On seeing Saboten's reaction, the Long-Legged Arachne was struck by inspiration. "S-say Jackie-san?"

"Yeah?" The female farmer smiled at the Arachne, "How can I help ya?"

"Would you care to arm-wrestle me as well?" She coughed awkwardly, aware that Saboten had turned her attention to Chichi. "As a potential police officer, I need to be able to overpower and restrain people if necessary and feel as if you would be a good test of my own physical abilities."

"You want to arm wrestle too?" Saboten walked over to her and Chichi's heart swelled as she imagined the young Slime calling her cool and seeing like a big sister.

"That's right," Chichi smiled.

"You want to oppress Jackie-chan?!" The small girl looked horrified. "Papa was right! Police only want to bully those who can't fight back! You waited until Toph-nee wore her out before pouncing!"

"Er… No… That's not…" Chichi deflated as the Slime girl wagged a finger at her as if scolding a child.

"Papa said police are bad people who brutalize the innocents!" Saboten stood between Jackie and Chichi.

"They sure do," Toph nodded sagely, having recovered from the strange quiet spell. "She's finally showing her true colors!"

"Hai!" Saboten saluted Toph, leaving the devastated Chichi slumping her humanoid torso forward, a bemused Naruto patting her shoulder as a confused Kaguya and Fremont watched on.

"What a lively household," Jackie laughed boisterously. "Ya must have so much fun here."

"It is certainly… different." Kaguya frowned. "Only last night we all almost got killed by a slime monster and about a week ago I nearly got killed by a large vehicle."

"I did get hit by that truck," Naruto pointed out in a cheerful voice, somewhat at odds with the topic of conversation.

"Ya got hit by a truck?" Jackie's eyes widened as she looked for any signs of injury. "Huh, guess if ya can make solid clones of yourself, it ain't that surprising that you survived being hit by a heavy thing like that."

"You believe him?" Chichi blinked, surprised at the easy-going nature of the country girl. Even she took a bit of time of witnessing Naruto's abilities before accepting that he would have survived such an impact.

"Well, I already seen that him make clones," Jackie laughed. "If ya can't believe your own eyes, what can ya trust? Plus, he seems decent enough." She nodded, fully confident in her ability to judge people. It hadn't steered her wrong yet.

"You and the idiot servant will get along swimmingly. You both seem to trust people on sight," Kaguya sighed wearily. "It is a trait that will no doubt put you in as much danger as my servant has put me in."

"Hey, I've saved you almost as many times as I've nearly gotten you killed," Naruto pointed out somewhat defensively.

"Ohoh?" Jackie laughed. "So he is like your prince charming? Swooping in to save ya?"

"I am unfamiliar with this 'Prince Charming', but if his name is anything to go by, the servant is nothing like him," Kaguya stated with certainty. "Still he is… almost competent."

' _ **Coming from her that's practically a confession.'**_ It always amused Naruto how he could visualize Kurama's expressions by his tone of voice. Naruto could see him grinning smugly, happy to poke fun at Naruto and Kaguya (at least out of her earshot). _**'So, when's the wedding?'**_

Naruto chose not to respond, but silently chuckled to himself.

* * *

 _Toph's Room_

There was a rustling under the covers of Toph's bed as Narf decided to officially start his day. Much like his mistress, he was a firm believer in not doing much before dinner time, besides eating breakfast that is. He would have travelled with his mistress, but decided to do some more exploring instead. He had entered this household some days ago, and he and the toad-type seemed to bond instantly, that is to say, she gave him scraps, and he was perfectly happy to eat them. Add to that the fact his mistress's room had plenty of cozy places for him to hide and sleep and you had the perfect living arrangement for the rat.

He crawled down the bed, sniffing the air and skittering to the door without any sign of fear or caution. As far as he was aware, his mistress ruled this place (at least she made it sound that way to Narf), and as such, he was also high up in the hierarchy of the household and free to go where he pleased.

On previous adventures, he had explored the giant spider girl's room, finding it too clean for his liking. There were no scraps of food to eat, and everything smelt wrong to the rat. This time however, she seems to have started putting down traps in response to his mistress's living conditions, and while Narf was far too smart to fall prey to one, it was a clear "stay out" message that the rodent was happy to oblige...especially since there was nothing in that room he wanted.

The blonde one's room was bare bones with even fewer decorations that the spider girls. He had left what looked like, to Narf anyway, some sharp metal sticks and stars lying on his table. There were a few pieces of paper there as well, covered in human words and pictures of farm and forge related things, but they seemed mostly untouched. There was also a note on top that smelled of the giant spider on them, suggesting maybe the blonde one had asked her to get them for him. None of this was of interest to Narf however, as there was nothing to eat, so the room was very rarely visited.

The newest arrival unnerved his mistress somewhat, and Narf wasn't sure why. Her room was also mostly empty, with a picture of what the rat assumed where her father and her hugging. Once again there was no food here, and he only checked it for clues on why his mistress was so uneasy around the girl. When no clues materialized, Narf quickly gave up looking and instead headed to the last room for him to explore. In his short time here, he had always gotten strange vibes from the pale, horned woman's room, but with nothing else to do, Narf decided to investigate. The rat approached the door cautiously as it had been left slightly ajar by its occupant before she had left with Narf's mistress. His nose twitching slightly, he peered around the door and slowly crept into the strange room.

The first thing he noticed was the low level of light, even around this time in the afternoon. The curtains were drawn to allow only the barest amount rays in that were required to safely navigate the room. Beyond this was a small calligraphy set to one side, which Narf ignored as it wasn't edible. The rat paused in its travels as he sensed eyes on himself. Looking towards the bed, the curious rodent could see the sparkling of what seemed like hundreds of equally curious eyes.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Narf stood his ground, almost daring the onlookers to approach, to which one did.

Usagi had been confused when the rat first entered the room. This was the rabbit's territory and as a representative of Lady Kaguya, lady of the house, should have been viewed as sacred by the other residents. That a low breed rodent dared to tread inside was a shock to Kaguya's favored rabbit, but that shock grew to anger as Narf refused to leave.

Hopping from its spot on the bed, the rabbit slowly advanced on Narf, weighing up the other rodent. Narf, for his part, found himself unnerved by the unyielding glare of this lead rabbit as well as the other eyes watching him, waiting for a moment to strike.

The two animals stood staring each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. The glare of the rabbit made it clear that the rat wasn't welcome here, yet the rat was not going to back down. This was his mistress's house and he definitely out-ranked some fluffy bunnies.

After a tense standoff that lasted several minutes, there was a clattering noise from downstairs, and Narf chose to retreat. He had made his point and if the bedroom's owner were to return, things could get nasty. Still, he tried to leave the room as slowly and casually as possible to let that prissy rabbit know he wasn't fleeing, merely that it wasn't worth his time.

If Narf's actions were designed to get under Usagi's skin, they succeeded and the rabbit watched the rat leave, resisting the urge to leap after it and chase the thing away. It was below the rabbit to act in such a manner Usagi decided before hopping back onto the bed.

But if that vulgar rat thought it could trespass on Lady Kaguya's sacred territory and get away with it, then that it was clearly misinformed. Usagi would have its revenge.

* * *

 _Back in the Fields_

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned on the hoe as he watched his clones industrially toil away under the quiet guidance of the troll Fremont. There was something satisfying about seeing his clones hard at work like a uniformed task force, plus the fact they seemed to be making good progress was heartening.

Unfortunately, not everyone was being as helpful. Toph, having defeated Jackie in an arm wrestle, was feeling pretty good about herself and decided to return to the house to get something to eat and revel in her glory. Kaguya, having grown bored of standing around watching clones of Naruto digging up dirt, joined the toad-type in returning to the household, followed by Chichi who had sworn to keep them out of trouble. All Naruto had said is that he knew she would as he trusted her and the Arachne's earlier gloom had been lifted, and the group left, all of them in reasonably good moods. Toph had won a fight; Chichi had been praised and Kaguya… well she wasn't as vocal as usual in her complaints, so Naruto was taking that as a sign that she was in a good mood.

Saboten was cheerful as always and fully committed to helping rebuild her Papa's farm. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm was not converting into progress, as the cheerful slime girl had been hacking at the same patch of weeds with a small sickle for about twenty minutes now with little progress, but every sign of enjoying the work she was doing.

"Well," Jackie wiped her forehead with the back of her arm, smudging some dirt across it before leaning on her shovel. "There's nothing quite like a bit of hard work to get the blood pumping." She glanced at the clones, "I'll imagine that ya grateful for the clones eh?"

"You can say that again," Naruto chuckled. "This would be an impossible task without them."

"I sure wouldn't mind having ya on my farm," Jackie nodded, unaware of Fremont's sudden look of horror. "Ya could really ease the workload on the big guy and me. Them clones o' yours are something else."

"Thanks," Naruto let out a chuckle, "Kind of funny that the one technique I always failed at the academy would be my go-to technique now."

"Oh?" The farmer's daughter tilted her head, "That's a learner technique?"

"It's an advanced version of a basic technique known as a Bunshin," Naruto grinned.

"Say… You're definitely a human, right?" Jackie frowned. "I don't reckon I ever heard of anyone who could do these magic tricks like you."

"Magic? They're ninjutsu," Naruto explained.

"Ninjutsu? Like what ninjas are supposed to use?"

"I am a ninja," Naruto gestured to his forehead protector. "From the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha."

"Fancy sounding name," Jackie chuckled before stretching out. "Ya reckon ya could teach me how to do it? I imagine having lots of me running 'round my farm could be plenty useful."

There was a sudden choking noise from Fremont, earning Naruto and Jackie's attention.

"Ya okay there, big fella?"

"F-fine," Fremont mumbled before returning his attention to the clones.

"I don't think so, see I use stuff called chakra to perform jutsu," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "It's kind of like an internal energy source that is composed of physical and spiritual energy. Humans from here don't seem to have much, if any, so I doubt you'd be able to learn anything as demanding as the Kage Bunshin."

"Well ain't that a kick in the teeth," Jackie let out a disappointed sigh.

"If you ever need some help though I'd be happy to send you a small group of clones," Naruto offered. "Thanks to… certain circumstances I have plenty of chakra to spare."

"Well, I might take you up on that next harvest time," She chuckled. "I don't have a shortage of hands to work, but cheap and trustworthy labor would definitely help." She glanced at Fremont. "Can't leave all the hard stuff to Fremont over there."

"It's no trouble really," Fremont smiled at her.

"How'd you two meet?" Naruto asked.

"Same way as you and the girls, I'd wager," Jackie glanced at the afternoon sky, "Signed up as a host 'cause I figured I might get a Liminal that could help on the farm, and next thing I knew Fremont showed up. Been thanking my lucky stars since. Running a farm like my old man's ain't easy, but with a good friend like Fremont to help out… things ain't so bad." She smiled warmly at Fremont who suddenly found the ground very interesting.

"So, is it just you two on the farm?" Naruto asked.

"Most times," She nodded, a little bit of a distant look in her eyes, "I mean, the old man shows up to help in busy times, but he trusts me to run the farm 'round here."

"Just like my Papa!" Saboten cheerfully announced as she continued hacking away at the weeds. "He told me to look after his farm for him while he went on a journey with Mama."

"Still, it ain't an easy life. I mean, if I'd believed the rumors I probably wouldn't have bothered with the program, and the big lump and I would have probably never met."

"What rumors?" Naruto glanced at Jackie, who chuckled in response.

"Can't believe ya haven't heard none! When I went to sign up for the program, I had plenty of people telling me why it was a bad idea." Jackie lifted the shovel over her shoulder. "There were tales of some Liminals using the program as a cover for criminal activities and plenty of stories about humans being attacked by their guests. None were true mind you, but it seemed everyone knew someone who's auntie's cousin's niece's best friend had been attacked by a Liminal." She shook her head sadly. "Seems some people just wanna cause trouble and chase out anyone who isn't like them."

"Are there really people who are against Liminals?" Naruto frowned, realizing the only other human besides Jackie that he had interacted with since coming here was Ms Smith, who would probably required to be pro-Liminal given her job, and the delivery driver Ken, who didn't seem to get fazed by much.

"Yeah," Jackie nods, "Word is not so long ago there was a group who tried to attack Liminals. Of course, this was all just after they were announced to the world and no-one really understood each other. I'd like to think that after two years of interacting and livin' with each other, things have gotten a bit better. I certainly ain't had no issues, but I guess we are out in the sticks here." Jackie glanced at her watch. "Man, time flies! I'd better be heading back home."

"Thanks for the help and it was nice to meet you," Naruto grinned. "Feel free to drop by anytime."

"Thanks, I might take ya up on that." Jackie grinned as she walked over to Fremont.

"Sorry about the whole throwing you around thing," Naruto offered a hand which the blue troll shook lightly.

"Ah, It's nothing." Fremont bowed his head. "I'm sorry for scaring you!"

"It's okay!" Saboten waved her arms energetically. "Bye bye Jackie!" She gave the other girl a hug and fist bumped a confused Fremont.

"See ya Sabby-chan," Jackie called over her shoulder as the two guests left the farm, Saboten bouncing up and down and waving until they were out of sight.

"They were nice," Saboten nodded. "Papa always said rubes could be nice if you get on their good side."

"I think you should probably stop calling them rubes," Naruto shook his head as he headed back to the farm. "Say Saboten?"

"Hai?" The slime girl tilted her head adorably.

"Have you ever had any strangers come here to attack you because you were a Liminal?" Naruto glanced at the young girl to see if she looked worried, but she merely screwed her face up in thought for a few second before her usual cheerful expression returned.

"Nope," Saboten swung her arms as she skipped. "Plenty of people came to try and take Papa's farm, but I scared them all away."

"That's a relief," Naruto frowned as the two made their way back to the house, Saboten cheerfully chatting about the plans she had for the farm with Naruto paying barely any attention. This talk of people targeting Liminals was worrying to him. Living on a farm with quite a few Liminals meant such a group could possibly target them in the future, and while he was confident he could deal with them, he was still concerned for the others.

When they entered the house via the kitchen, they saw Chichi hard at work cleaning it. The utility belt that she normally wore on her hip had been replaced by a belt full of cleaning supplies. Currently, she was wiping down the kitchen counter , so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard Saboten and him enter. With a mischievous grin, Naruto approached her quietly and tried his best to eliminate his presence before clearing his throat right next to her. The Arachne suddenly leapt backwards with a cry of alarm, before noticing the bemused Naruto and giggling Saboten. She looked away with a blush to compose herself.

"H-handler-san!" Chichi took a deep breath, "I apologize. I should have been paying more attention. As a host, you deserve my full attention as stated under…"

"It's okay," Naruto cut her off before she could get started. "You were hard at work. You know, you don't have to do this. You could just leave the chores to my clones."

"I don't want to feel as if I am taking advantage of your good nature," the Arachne returned her attention to the counter she had been cleaning. "I know the others are… less than helpful in looking after this house."

"W-well," Naruto laughed weakly. "I guess Toph and Kaguya don't really help out that much but still, you and Saboten do."

"Papa told me to work hard for my dreams!" Saboten declared.

"He was a wise man," Chichi smiled to try and get on Saboten's good side.

"He also said coppers are only nice when they are planning to arrest you and need you to lower your guard to get evidence," Saboten added.

"Er… That's not always the case," The many legged girl shook her head softly.

"Where are the others?" Naruto decided to interject before Saboten said something to depress Chichi again. The Arachne sighed and returned her attention to the blonde ninja.

"Toph is in her room playing pretend," Chichi rubbed her forehead. "She's been hopping around fighting imaginary enemies. Kaguya said she wanted to use the computer."

"Oh?" Naruto blinked.

"Well she said she wanted to goggle the webs for answers," Chichi smiled, "But I got what she meant."

"Goggling webs?" Naruto and Saboten had matching blank expressions.

"Oh… I forget that since Saboten grew up in the surrounding woods, she probably doesn't have much knowledge of computers and that you're from a different world." She smiled weakly, "I apologize if I seemed insensitive."

"Don't worry about," Naruto laughed, "It's just another thing that makes you a vital member of this household. You're the only one who really gets this technology stuff."

"Thank you," Chichi found herself feeling warm inside. This feeling of being needed, of being relied upon… She enjoyed it. The fact that she could tell Naruto was being honest was also a strange experience for the young woman. Most humans found it awkward to talk to her due to her spider-like body yet Naruto didn't even seem to notice. He just treated her like she was a normal girl.

"Don't mention it. Say, I had a few questions if you don't mind," Naruto sat down at the kitchen counter, while summoning a few more clones to start work on preparing some food.

"Article 21-E subsection 3 states that a guest must answer their host's questions unless it conflicts with another law. Plus, I would be happy to answer your questions regardless," The Arachne resumed cleaning as Saboten decided to help her with more enthusiasm than skill.

"Great," Naruto beamed at her, "So I was wondering if you'd heard anything about Anti-Liminal groups?"

"A little," Chichi paused in her work, a small frown on her face. "As I have previously mentioned, such a group lived near my village and although it only happened once, they did burn down a Liminal's house. Fortunately, no one was hurt badly. From what I've heard, there have been attacks on Liminals, which is why the rule about being no further than 100 yards from their handler was added, to ensure a Liminal didn't wander off and get ambushed."

"I see," Naruto frowned.

"Still, these all happened in the earlier days of the treaty when it was new and there was plenty of misinformation going around." The Arachne smiled at Naruto. "There are a couple of groups that are still Anti-Liminal, though. One of them seeks to get the treaty annulled, but they have so little support that they're largely ignored. There were rumors of a terrorist organization a few months back, but I think that was just a story to sell newspapers."

"I don't get it," Naruto sighed. "I mean, have they even talked to a Liminal before? Both you and Saboten are good people."

"And Toph?" Chichi smiled.

"I don't get why people would want to hurt you," Naruto chose to ignore Chichi's question, much to the larger Arachne's amusement.

"It goes both ways, much like humans there are Liminals who don't want to mingle with humans and think the program is a plot against us." She resumed cleaning while Naruto frowned. "Others do have less than stellar motives for joining the program as well."

"It's stupid," He finally declared. "Liminal, human… we are all just people at the end of the day. We should all just get along."

"That would be nice," Chichi nodded. "But even with the laws we have now, they are designed to keep distance between hosts and guests."

"Yeah, I mean isn't there a rule saying that you can't be too close or something?!" He let out a sigh.

"It's a crime to become intimately involved," Chichi looked away with a soft blush.

"But what if a Liminal and their host falls in love? Isn't there a law saying you can't hurt each other. I'd wager loving someone but not being able to be with them is pretty damn painful." Naruto shook his head.

"Speaking from experience?" Chichi asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Naruto sighed and waved his hand dismissively, so Chichi tactfully chose not to continue with her questioning.

"Do you really think you could fall in love with a Liminal, though?" Chichi gestured to her spider half, "We aren't exactly what your species considers attractive. For example, I am basically part spider, a feature that many humans find unsettling."

"Don't sell yourself short," Naruto chided her. "You have a pretty face and eyes, even if you do have more than a human usually would. So, what if you have lots of legs? To some people that'd be a good thing. Plus, you're a nice person that I'm glad to know. I can easily see how a human could like you." Naruto nodded sagely. _'Ero-sennin could probably add a few more reasons to that list.'_

' _ **If it was female and had a pretty face, he had all the reasons he needed to try and seduce it,'**_ Kurama's voice carried a sort of disdain. Biological functions were messy and complicated to the giant fox and he was perfectly happy not getting involved in such things. He was fine with relationships, but the added trappings seemed too much like hard and messy work to the proud fox.

"O-oh," Chichi was somewhat taken aback by his honest response. "I… er… Thank you."

"How about you?" Naruto smiled, "Could you see yourself with a human?"

"I-it would be illegal!" Chichi went bright red, "B-but if my heart said yes… I guess… I don't know it's too soon for me to comment." She suddenly buried her face in her hands, much to Naruto's confusion, but before he could comment there was an angry snarl that snapped Chichi out of her daze.

"VULGAR SPIDER! YOUR WEB IS FILTH! PURE FILTH!"

"Eh?" Naruto and Chichi shared a glance before heading to the computer room where a furiously blushing Kaguya was stood with her hand over her eyes and her back to the computer screen.

"Is everything alright?" Naruto blinked.

"No! This enemy of all morals has tried to corrupt me!" Kaguya snapped.

"I don't understand," Chichi glanced at the computer.

"W-well I was researching pink slimes," Kaguya remarked. "To find their weaknesses. There is… little information available. Then I realized none of the images really fitted the monster that attacked us, so I tried the "image search", as the vulgar spider had suggested and searched for 'Pink slime attacks girls with tentacles'." Her face went bright red, which when compared to the usual pale nature of her skin was rather impressive. "AND I GOT THAT FILTH!"

Naruto and Chichi glanced at the screen that Kaguya was refusing to look at.

"Oh." Naruto blinked. "That is… yeah… Ero-sennin would probably like that."

The picture involved a fairly, attractive girl being molested by tentacles. It looked like the kind of thing that Ero-sennin would have put in his books. Even with his resilience to such material, the explicit nature of the image had his cheeks starting to heat up. He looked away when he became aware of Chichi and Kaguya's pointed looks.

"Suddenly your interest in keeping Saboten here is explained," Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "To think that my servant is such a degraded pervert. Clearly, the vulgar spider has gotten to you!"

"It isn't like that," Naruto shook his head furiously. "Honestly!"

"Handler-san," Chichi looked a little concerned. "Was your earlier speech about the relationships between Liminals and humans related to your… unconventional desires?" The Arache looked torn between embarrassment and and condescending. "To engage in such acts would be in violation of…"

"It's not like that!" The ninja protested his innocence repeatedly. "You have to believe me!"

"What's going on in there?" Saboten cheerfully called from outside the room.

"Stay out!" Naruto and Chichi called in unison, the former quickly shutting the door before turning his attention to the two girls in the room.

"Yes… It is probably a good idea to keep you apart from that creature." Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "The dishonor of having a servant who indulges in such activities would be overwhelming." She shivered and refused to make eye contact with the tearful ninja, her rage being replaced by disgust momentarily, before returning to rage as she caught the obscene image out of the corner of her eye. "Now do something about that… thing before my servant gets any more ideas!"

"I'm not… You've got to believe me Chichi!" He turned to the long-legged Liminal who was unable to meet his gaze. "Chichi…" He slumped in despair. "Not you too…"

"Handler-san…" Chichi placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. As part of my training, I have read many books on helping criminals rehabilitate themselves. Together I am sure we can help you out."

"...It's not like that…" Naruto left the room, a cloud of despair hanging over him. A curious Saboten was waiting outside the door, pouting cutely and tapping her foot.

"Ah Aniki! Can I go into the room yet? Oh no… Aniki is sad again! Did someone mention your dead parents? Ah… I mean… Sadness go away!" Saboten went to hug him only for Naruto to dodge her clumsy lunge. "Aniki?"

"It's probably best you don't get too huggy with me at the moment," Naruto offered her an empty smile before trudging to his room.

"Aniki?" Saboten watched him head to his room. "I have to cheer Aniki up! But how?"

Back in the computer room, Chichi was trying to defend herself against Kaguya's slander, with little more success than Naruto had achieved.

"How dare you subject me to such filth! Your web is obscene!" Kaguya glare threatened to burn through Chichi. The former goddess was radiating an overwhelming aura the likes the Arachne had never witnessed before. She was almost biblical in her overwhelming rage and Chichi found herself almost believing her claims of godliness.

"It isn't my web… It's just called the web, but it has nothing to do with Arachne. It's actually a collection of pages that are stored on servers and connected by..." Chichi trailed off as she realized that Kaguya's expression not softening in the slightest. "I guess that sounds like a lot of made up nonsense to you."

"Are you implying that I am too stupid to understand?" Chichi was pretty sure she could hear latin chanting in the background as the sheer force of Kaguya's displeasure started to smother her like some ancient evil that Chichi had unwittingly released from its tomb.

"Someone must have turned the safesearch off." Chichi mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say,

"Oh, that'd be me," Toph poked her head in, having been attracted by the loud noise and the sight of a sad looking Naruto dragging his feet along the floor towards his room. "So what did ya show the boss that put him in such a funk?" She glanced at the screen. "Ah… I get it." She paused as she saw the image on the screen. "Well… I ain't gonna judge ya copper...but I'm totally judging ya right now."

"Why did you suspect this is my search?!" Chichi was confused by Toph's remarks.

"You're far too uptight, so ya gotta have some sort of dark secret. Honestly, being into slime porn would probably be more normal than the weird crap I was expecting, but I guess it shattered your image as a perfect little goody two shoes. The boss will never be able to look at ya the same again." Toph snorted. "Personally, I had imagined you'd be into tying people with your webs and doing all sorts of messed up crap to 'em."

Kaguya opened her mouth to chastise the toad on her topic of conversation, but Chichi cut her off, eager to defend her honor.

"I can't make any webs!" Chichi frowned. "I would imagine that of all people would take care to know the differences between breeds!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toph narrowed her eyes, trying to work out whether she was being insulted or not.

"You'd hate to be mistaken for a frog type, right?" The Arachne crossed her arms.

"We're completely different! Ya couldn't mistake a toad-type for a frog type unless you were blind!" The Bullywug scowled. "You Arachne all have loads of legs and fat asses! Plus ya all have different markings even in the same breed!"

"My abdomen is the perfect size for my species!" The officer in training frowned. "And for the record I am a long-legged type."

"You must be the useless breed then if ya can't even make webs. How the hell are ya gonna do all that kinky stuff like tying people up and…"

"I don't want to hear this!" Kaguya shook her head furiously. "Can we just remove this… obscenity from my view?"

Chichi and Toph paused in their argument, silently calling a truce to avoid triggering a cataclysmic response from the already incandescent former goddess. Toph leaned against the door, ignoring Saboten's 'please let me in' coming from the other side while Chichi walked over to the computer and tried to close the image, although for some reason the computer seemed reluctant to respond to her actions.

"It must have crashed." She paused before turning towards the disinterested toad-type. "Why would you even remove safesearch in the first place?!"

"'Cause I'm a badass," Toph smirked. "I don't need no 'safe' search! A badass thrives on danger!"

"That's not what it means!" Chichi clicked furiously, but somehow accidentally enlarged the image instead, much to the rabbit goddess' displeasure.

"You're making it worse foul cretin!" Kaguya jerked her attention away from the screen and stormed out of the room, leaving the door open and allowing the newest addition to the farm to wander inside.

"What's going on in there?" Saboten beamed as she walked in. "Oh, are you looking at something?"

"It's nothing!" Chichi shielded the screen from the young girl.

"Lemme see!" Saboten declared as she tried to peer around Chichi, however her abdomen was shielding the entire screen, a fact that Toph took great amusement in.

"It's not for you! Now leave!" Chichi made a shooing gesture. "Please."

"Looks like that fat ass of yours is actually useful for something," The toad-type cackled as she left the room with a slight limp, her ankle still not fully healed.

"T-Toph!" Chichi paled. "I could use your help here…!"

"Help a copper? Fat chance!" She snickered as she walked away, cheerfully whistling a tune.

"TOPH!" The spider girl watched the toad-type walk away, all the while still trying to keep Saboten from seeing the screen behind her. "Please! Get back here and help me! Toph?"

"Let me see!" Saboten frowned as she tried to peer around the Arachne. "Is that what made Aniki really sad? Was it your fault?"

"It wasn't me! Well… I suppose I may have played a small part," Chichi paused. "But either way I can't let you see this screen, so please _please_ just leave the room."

"Papa warned me that coppers keep files on innocent people to bully them!" Saboten challenged, "I saw a Pink Slime, so you must have something on me!"

"That's not true!" The Arachne shook her head furiously, repositioning her spider half to completely block the screen.

"Then show me the image or prove me right!" Saboten had a triumphant look on her face. "Hehehe… Saboten is a master strategist," She added to herself in her loud whisper.

"I… I can't do that…" Chichi started sweating nervously.

"Papa was right. Police are all big jerks! Toph-nee sama would have let me see it! She's way cooler than you! I'll bet you are the reason that Aniki told me not to hug him! Stupid coppers ruin everything!" Saboten stuck her tongue out before running away.

"S-Saboten-chan." Chichi froze as the young girl ran away. "She's never going to accept me as a big sister…" She slumped her shoulders as the screen finally responded and closed the image. _'Too little, too late,'_ She thought as she left the room, mirroring Naruto's own exit several minutes earlier.

* * *

 **...and that's the end of chapter 8!**

 **This chapter was a fun one. We learned a bit more about Saboten's parents, got a glimpse at Toph's past, got to see Naruto's neighbors again, and the great rodent rivalry has begun! Oh, and Kaguya discovered internet porn.**

 **Next chapter we'll be wrapping up this day with one more special visitor and possibly** _ **finally**_ **starting that shopping trip as well as Saboten's interview with Ms Smith. Hopefully this chapter won't take as long as the last two.**

 **Regarding Chichi's redesign, while "No" won the last poll, I decided to commission a picture of it anyway, as I hope to be able to possibly use Chichi and my other characters in other no-fanwork projects outside this story and I wouldn't be able to use Oyakado's Long Leg Arachne design in that case (I may even still need to tweak several of the designs if/when I do do such a project, but that's something to worry about later). If "No" wins the poll this time, nothing in the story will change and the design will just be for myself. If "Yes" wins, I'll go back and edit it in where relevant, as well as use it as an excuse to do some cleaning up I've been meaning to do, like cut down some of Kaguya's speeches from when I barely knew Drake and was more hesitant to give him criticism and fix up Toph's dialogue in Chapter 3 like I promised way back. Personally, I hope "Yes" wins ;P**

 **This won't be relevant for a good while, but there's something I wanted to inform you all about so it doesn't come as a surprise later and you don't get your hopes up. Draco is a planned farm resident, but she will NOT be love interest for Naruto and will be strictly a lesbian. The reason for this is I had originally made plans for the story around character dynamics involving her and planned for her to be a love interest for Naruto, but the more a thought about it, the more uncomfortable I became with changing that aspect about her and any attempt I made to come up with an idea to work around it just didn't feel right. However, I still like what she adds to the planned dynamic, so I've decided for her to remain a farm resident, but not end up with Naruto. She's going to have her own love interest though, and you may or may not get Naruto trying to help her get a date as her wingman.**

 **Oh, before I forget, there's been a slight change to Chichi's backstory. The village she's from is in Hokkaido, not a place near the farm as mentioned in Chapter 2. Her village started interacting with humans not long after the reveal of Liminals to the world, which was several years before the treaty was established, which itself was a few years before the Exchange Program was set up (in this version of the Monster Musume universe, anyway).**

 **Off the top of my head I can't think of any expected questions that aren't just spoilers, so I'm just going to leave you with some lore I've come up with this iteration of the Monster Musume universe: As the cost of reimbursing hosts for food and damage as well as free remodeling of homes can be quite expensive, the Exchange Program is partially funded by donations, including those made by Liminals. Because the majority of them are independently wealthy, donations from Kobolds alone make up more than a third of the Program's funding.**

 **See ya next time!**


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